Institutional Self-Study

for the

Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Prepared by: State University of New York College at Cortland

April 15-18, 2012

VOLUME I: 2012 INSTITUTIONAL SELF-STUDY

Institutional Self-Study

for the

Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Prepared by: State University of New York College at Cortland

Chief Executive Officer: Erik J. Bitterbaum

Commission Action Preceding This Report: Submission and Approval of Periodic Review Report,

2007

Date of the Evaluation Team Visit: April 15-18, 2012

VOLUME I: 2012 INSTITUTIONAL SELF-STUDY

SUNY CORTLAND 2012 SELF-STUDY

Table of Contents VOLUME I: 2012 INSTITUTIONAL SELF-STUDY

PART ONE: INTRODUCTION AND CONTEXT Chapter 1 Executive Summary........................................................................................ i

Chapter 2 Signed Eligibility Certification Statements

Chapter 3 Introduction/Overview/Context .............................................................. vi

PART TWO: MEETING THE MIDDLE STATES STANDARDS Chapter 4 Mission, Vision, Values and Planning Processes – (Standards 1, 2, 6) ......1

Chapters 5-7: Academic Excellence – Standards 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 ............................ 11

Chapter 5 Academic Excellence - Students .....................................................................11

Chapter 6 Academic Excellence--Faculty.......................................................................20

Chapter 7 Academic Excellence – Educational Offerings ...........................................29

Chapter 8 Transformational Education –Standards 9, 11, 13, 14 .............................. 45

Chapter 9 Well-Being – Standards 3, 8, 9, 13 ............................................................. 53

Chapter 10 Maximize Resources - Chapter 10 (Standards 2, 3, 4, 5, 7) ...................66

PART THREE CONCLUSION Conclusion ................................................................................................................ 80

APPENDICES 2012 Middle States Self-Study Research Questions ..................................................84

2012 Middle States Self-Study Recommendations................................................... 88

STANDARDS CROSS-REFERENCED CHART AND GLOSSARY Standards Cross-Referenced Chart

Glossary

VOLUME II--DOCUMENT ROADMAP VOLUME III—SUPPLEMENTAL APPENDICES

PART ONE:

INTRODUCTION AND CONTEXT

i

Chapter 1

Executive Summary

In December 2009 SUNY Cortland initiated preparations for the 2012 Middle States Decennial Self-Study. President Bitterbaum identified a 28-member Middle States Self-Study Steering Committee consisting of faculty, staff, administrators, students and alumni from across the campus. In January 2010 he charged the committee, and the work began in earnest. At the time of the formation of the Middle States Self-Study Steering Committee, the College had recently completed the 1 ½ year process of developing a new institutional strategic plan. Guided by the Strategic Planning Steering Committee (SPSC), the campus developed institutional core values, reaffirmed the mission of the College, and endorsed an abbreviated version of the College mission statement. The Middle States Self-Study Steering Committee made the decision to build upon the new strategic plan, “SUNY Cortland 2010-2020: A Commitment to Excellence,” by using it as the foundation for the Decennial Middle States Self-Study. In addition to Mission, Vision, Values and Planning, the strategic plan identifies four major priorities for the College: Academic Excellence, Transformational Education, Well-being, and Maximize Resources. Together these five areas constitute the design of the present Self-Study, with Academic Excellence being subdivided into three distinct chapter sections. In April 2010 the Self-Study design was approved by Middle States liaison, Dr. Ellie Fogarty. Besides serving as a working framework for the present comprehensive Self-Study, we anticipate that the unique design will continue to provide meaningful future direction for the College. All of the subcommittees that were established followed a similar charge and process for review. Each subcommittee recruited additional membership from the campus to participate in the process of studying the standards for which they were responsible, developing preliminary research questions for their area, researching evidence, interviewing faculty, staff and students from key offices, and reporting their findings to the full Steering Committee. The preliminary research questions were shared and refined by the full Steering Committee. Each subcommittee was subsequently responsible for drafting its respective chapter, including sources of evidence, findings and recommendations. The chapters were compiled into the full draft Self-Study, which was then shared with the Steering Committee and disseminated to the President’s Cabinet and for comment campus-wide. It is important to note that there has been extensive and ongoing campus-wide involvement and that the campus community-at-large has been kept informed at each stage of the Self-Study process. Numerous Power Point presentations were made in various key venues, including Administrative Retreats, 2010 and 2011 President’s Summer Administrative Retreats, College Council updates, Fall 2011 President’s Opening, and

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Sandwich Seminars. In addition, materials related to the Self-Study were posted on the President’s Office website, and two open forums for discussion were held to encourage campus-wide input. The 2012 Middle States Self-Study consists of three distinct volumes. Volume I forms the narrative of the Self-Study. Part I—Introduction and Context, provides a description of the College and the background for the Self-Study. Part II—Meeting the Middle States Standards, consists of seven chapters that parallel the mission, vision and four priorities set forth in the institutional strategic plan. Part III—Conclusions, summarizes the comprehensive findings of the Middle States Self-Study Steering Committee. Chapters 4-7 comprise Part II, Meeting the Middle States Standards. Chapter 4: “Mission/Vision/Values/Planning Processes” (Standards 1, 2, 6) addresses the mission, vision, and core values of SUNY Cortland. The complicated campus-wide process employed to arrive at what ultimately resulted in a reaffirmation of our College mission underscores our institutional beliefs and provides unwavering direction for the future. A strong commitment to ethics permeates all operations of the institution. Chapter 5: “Academic Excellence: Students” (Standard 8) evaluates the materials and processes for recruitment, admission and retention of students through data including SOS, NSSE, enrollment and graduation rates, and academic support services. Chapter 6: “Academic Excellence: Faculty” (Standard 10) provides evidence of the high quality of faculty teaching at SUNY Cortland, the rigor of evaluation, faculty research, and opportunities for professional development. Chapter 7: “Academic Excellence: Educational Offerings” (Standards 11, 12, 13, 14) provides insights into the rigor of the academic curriculum, how and what students learn, and student learning outcomes. Significant attention is given to the curricular offerings and assessment of General Education and student outcomes assessment. Chapter 8: “Transformational Education” (Standards 9, 11, 13, 14) speaks to the importance of student support services, extra-curricular and co-curricular offerings, internationalization opportunities and experiential learning. Evidence of the College’s strong commitment to civic engagement is detailed in this chapter. Chapter 9: “Well-being” (Standards 3, 8, 9, 13) provides evidence of the many ways that SUNY Cortland promotes the physical, emotional, cultural and social well-being of all members of the College community. Chapter 10: “Maximize Resources” (Standards 2, 3, 4, 5, 7) analyzes the important link between institutional planning and the College’s effective use of resources. The chapter demonstrates the successful practice of shared governance at SUNY Cortland and institutional assessment. A comprehensive institutional assessment plan is found in Volume III, Supplemental Appendices.

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It is worth noting that the Middle States Self-Study Steering Committee intentionally reviewed all aspects of the College in a comprehensive and holistic fashion. Throughout the Self-Study process, the Committee came to realize that each area of the institution plays an important role in achieving the major goal of ensuring the overall success of our students. In selecting the Middle States “Model of a Comprehensive Report Reordering Standards to Reflect an Institution,” therefore, overlapping of standards was anticipated. Comprehensive listings of the Research Questions developed for each chapter and the resultant institutional recommendations follow Chapter 10. Finally, to assist the reviewer in more readily identifying the intertwining of Middle States standards, a Crosswalk is provided, along with a Glossary of terms used at SUNY Cortland. These two sections complete the narrative of the document. Volume II is the Comprehensive Document Roadmap which the campus followed throughout the Self-Study to reach a full understanding of the status of the institution. Through a careful analysis of the evidence included in the Roadmap, the Self-Study Steering Committee was able to identify the institutional strengths, areas for improvement and progress that has been made since the last Self-Study. Volume III consists of a database index of links that can be accessed throughout the Self-Study, the comprehensive institutional assessment plan, and useful appendices of supplemental materials listed by chapter, particularly for data received after the completion of the Self-Study. This includes team comments and recommendations from the 2002 Middle States Self-Study team site visit and an account of the ways that SUNY Cortland has addressed the four recommendations (as detailed in the 2007 Middle States Periodic Review Report.) The materials included in the Appendices provide additional information that may be helpful to the reviewer in better understanding the College. In brief, “Assessment” at SUNY Cortland can best be described as a comprehensive combination of both “top down” and “bottom up” approaches. Many aspects of the system are mandated and/or developed (top down) by the federal and state government, SUNY System Administration, SUNY Cortland, as well as various accrediting bodies (e.g., NCATE and Middle States). Assessment also is generated by faculty members assessing students on a daily basis, and often develops into program, department, school, unit and College-wide assessment systems. From this perspective assessment is a bottom up generated system.

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The table below illustrates the various levels of assessment that exist at SUNY Cortland, the components of which comprise the institution's overall Assessment Plan.

Level* Assessment Data Collection/ Reporting

Reference/Policy Outcome

1

Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System

Ongoing/Jan, Apr SUNY Cortland Profile

IPEDS Reports

National Survey of Student Engagement

Spring (3-yr cycle) NSSE Policy NSSE Results

Student Opinion Survey Spring (3-yr cycle) SOS Policy SOS Results

Collegiate Learning Assessment

Oct (Freshmen) Mar (Seniors)

CLA Instrument CLA Results

2

New York State Education Department

Ongoing NYSED Website NYSED Reports

NYS Teacher Certification Examinations

Feb, Apr, May, Jun, Aug, Oct, Dec

Manual Policy NYSTCE Scores

3

General Education Spring/Fall GE Requirements

Assessment Results

Program Review Fall/Spring PR Policy Program Reviews

4

Course Teacher Evaluations Dec, May/ongoing CTE requirement CTE Results IRAO Data for Annual Reports Ongoing/Spring Request by IRAO Data for ARs

Annual Reports (depts and schools)

Ongoing/June AR Request Memo Annual Reports

Annual Reports (service units) Ongoing/June N/A Annual Reports

Faculty Workload Analysis Fall/Jan, Feb Request by IRAO Faculty Workload

Enrollment/Degrees Granted Fall/Jan, Feb Request by IRAO Enroll/Degree Report

Student Teacher Evaluation Monthly, Fall-Spring/Jun

STE Instrument STE Results

Graduate Survey (Career Services)

Mar-May/Nov Survey Instrument Survey Results

College Assessment Committee Grants

Spring/Fall N/A Grants Listing

5

Middle States

Ongoing/10-yr cycle

MS Accreditation Self Study

National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education

Ongoing/7-yr cycle NCATE Accreditation

Institutional Report

Specialized Program Associations

Ongoing/7-yr cycle SPA Accreditations

SPA reports

*Level: 1 = Federal/National; 2 = New York State; 3 = State University of New York (SUNY); 4 = SUNY Cortland; 5 = Accreditation (OIRA website)

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In summary, SUNY Cortland is pleased with the progress made since the 2002 Middle States Self-Study. Academic Excellence continues to be a critical priority for the campus. A greater awareness of the benefits of Transformational Education, including internationalization, diversity, experiential learning and civic engagement, has been identified. Increased attention to the total well-being of students, faculty and staff has led to the rapid development of many initiatives campus-wide which consequently need to be assessed. The increase in assessment throughout all areas of the campus has, in turn, resulted in a greater need for timely and broader dissemination of data. Linking limited resources to initiatives guided by the new institutional strategic plan is proving to be effective and shows signs of promise for the future. Through cautious fiscal stewardship, SUNY Cortland has been able to maintain high quality academic programs and has taken significant steps to replace a number of the full-time faculty lost to last year’s early retirement incentive and other events.

Chapter 2

Signed Eligibility Certification Statements

vi

Chapter 3 Introduction/Overview/Context The State University of New York College at Cortland is one of thirteen comprehensive institutions in the State University of New York (SUNY) System. Founded in 1868 as a normal school, SUNY Cortland became a State Teachers College with four-year programs in 1941 and joined the SUNY System in 1948. In 1961 Cortland became SUNY Cortland, awarding arts and sciences as well as professional studies degrees. A total of 7,358 full-time and part-time undergraduate and graduate students currently attend SUNY Cortland, and the College is primarily an undergraduate, residential institution with a traditional college-age population. Academic programs are provided through the Schools of Arts and Sciences, Education, and Professional Studies, and all three schools are involved in teacher preparation. With almost one-half of the student body enrolled in teacher preparation programs, SUNY Cortland ranks first in New York State and consistently ranks in the top fifteen institutions in the country for number of teachers prepared annually. The School of Arts and Sciences has experienced advances since the last Middle States Decennial Self-Study site visit, including development of new majors, learning communities, undergraduate research opportunities and the integration of technology. The Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs serves as the NCATE Unit Head, and the Assistant Provost for Teacher Education is the NCATE Coordinator and the Chief Certification Officer; this administrator also oversees the Field Experience and School Partnerships Office. The School of Professional Studies offers nationally recognized majors in Physical Education and Recreation, Parks and Leisure Studies. SUNY Cortland has well established study abroad opportunities, and there are ongoing efforts to establish partnerships with international universities in the context of SUNY-wide initiatives. The College is committed to outdoor and environmental education through its three field campuses, most notable of which is the Huntington Outdoor Education Center, a designated national historic landmark. SUNY Cortland also supports a growing emphasis on civic engagement and the incorporation of service learning within the curriculum. Co-curricular activities have similarly expanded in order to serve students outside the classroom. The Division of Student Affairs provides health and counseling services, schedules many residence hall presentations, and supports scores of clubs and organizations. The College enjoys national prominence in NCAA Division III athletics. The quality of the curricular and co-curricular experiences is recognized through programmatic, regional and national accreditation. The College has been named among the “top 50 best value” public institutions by Consumer’s Digest and in Kiplinger’s “Top 100 Best Value Public Institutions” in the country, as well as on the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll since 2007, most recently with Distinction (See Accolades).

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PART TWO: MEETING THE MIDDLE STATES STANDARDS

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Chapter 4

Mission, Vision, Values and Planning Processes – (Standards 1, 2, 6) Standard 1--Mission and Goals Standard 2--Planning, Resource Allocation, and Institutional Renewal Standard 6--Integrity Research Question #4.1: Why and through what process was the mission statement revised? How well does it now articulate our institutional purpose? In 2009, the College community reaffirmed the mission and vision of the College. Drawing from the intent and ideals of the past mission statement, the College began a strategic planning process that included review, assessment, and revision. From that process a revised mission statement was created along with a new vision statement, core values, and strategic priorities. The presidentially appointed Strategic Planning Steering Committee (SPSC), comprised of faculty, staff, students and alumni from all areas of the campus, met bi-weekly for a year and a half. Broad campus feedback was gathered through multiple campus-wide surveys, ten open meetings, a student government meeting, the President’s retreat, and meetings with groups on campus. The SPSC utilized a systematic and transparent process. In the first stages, the SPSC researched mission and strategic planning literature and created working definitions for the terms used in the process: mission, values, and strategic planning. The working definitions proved useful in focusing the group and articulating the process to the campus. The first campus survey asked for feedback on the prior mission statement and asked respondents to describe an effective mission statement. With data from this survey, SPSC began drafting a new mission statement and a working draft of a values and vision statement. Using appreciative inquiry methodology, a second campus survey asked respondents what the College did well and what progress or changes they hoped to see over the next several years. In addition to the survey, five open meetings were held on campus. The questions used the same appreciative inquiry methodology and were aimed at gaining insight into campus perspectives. Survey responses and transcripts of meetings were analyzed for emergent themes. This analysis was used to formulate the first draft of the values, vision, and strategic priorities. The drafts of the mission statement, values, vision, and priorities were disseminated to the entire campus for feedback. Five additional open meetings were held on campus and another survey was administered. The transcripts of the meetings and the data from the survey were analyzed and used to guide further review. SPSC held a two-day retreat to review the data from the meeting and survey as well as data from other sources. It was found that, rather than replacing the former mission statement, the mission statement needed to be more concise; the revised mission statement captured the essence of the

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original statement. A final version was the result of a collaborative process and extensive processing among committee members. The final version may be found at these links:

• Mission Statement • Strategic Plan (includes our Vision Statement, our Values, and our Strategic

Priorities) Soon after SUNY Cortland finalized its new vision, mission, core values and strategic priorities, the Chancellor of the State University of New York initiated a system-wide strategic planning process. In 2010, Chancellor Nancy Zimpher launched the new strategic plan for the SUNY system called The Power of SUNY. An informal review shows that the College’s priorities align closely with those of SUNY System Administration. In sum, the strategic planning process at SUNY Cortland, including the revision of our mission statement, was timely, inclusive and collaborative. The result of the process is that our mission, vision, values and priorities clearly communicate our institutional purpose. Recommendation 4.1 Analyze the campus strategic plan in relation to the SUNY System strategic plan (The Power of SUNY) introduced in 2010 to determine how SUNY Cortland aligns itself with the six major goals of the SUNY plan; and, determine how SUNY Cortland advances the SUNY-wide goals within the framework of its own mission statement and strategic priorities. Research Question #4.2: How are plans developed and articulated across campus in relation to the mission and the academic priorities? To what extent is the mission infused in unit goals, assessment and outcomes? The mission, vision, core values and strategic priorities were formally approved by the President’s Cabinet in 2010 and were then endorsed by the Faculty Senate. A document containing the mission, vision, values and strategic priorities was widely disseminated via email and discussed at the President’s Open Meeting at the start of the semester. Within each division of the College, the Vice Presidents led discussions to ensure that each office or department appropriately designed their planning and activities in alignment with the strategic priorities. In 2010, the College changed the annual report format to reflect the strategic priorities. All units now report how their goals and activities align with the strategic priorities of the College. Regular communication from the President through The Bulletin, Faculty Senate reports, at Administrative Conference, and at monthly meetings with the faculty union (United University Professions) provide opportunities to reinforce the strategic priorities. Additionally, other forums such as bi-weekly department chairs’ meetings convened by the deans, the twice semester Joint Chairs’ Council, and monthly meetings of the

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Academic Affairs Council, provide opportunities to articulate and assess the strategic priorities. Currently the College conducts assessment in several ways with multiple levels of the campus organizational structure. Institutional Research and Assessment, Enrollment Management, and Academic Affairs coordinate institutional metrics such as enrollment, graduation, retention, faculty workload, and standardized student measures such as the ACT Student Opinion Survey and National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). The College conducts a multi-layered set of assessment activities ranging from regularly administered individual Course Teacher Evaluations (CTE) to regular program reviews conducted by academic departments and units. These include reports from external consultants. A variety of individual and unit reports are used for assessment and factored into resource allocation. All campus divisions participate in the annual review process. In conclusion, planning, assessment and improvement at SUNY Cortland are closely aligned with the mission and priorities of the institution and infused into routine activities. Aggregated outcomes of assessment from an institutional perspective, however, should be better communicated. Recommendation 4.2 a. Develop a College-wide plan for monitoring the effectiveness of the new standardized annual report format as a method for alignment of individual and unit annual reports with institutional strategic priorities. b. Explore the further development of data management strategies that would facilitate the alignment of activities and resources with the strategic plan. Research Question #4.3: How effectively do the institution’s organizational structures and operations reflect and support the mission? Over the past three years, several units and programs across the College’s organization have assessed their current structures and made appropriate changes to better serve students, demonstrate the evidentiary base for professional standards, strengthen alignment with the strategic priorities, and increase organizational effectiveness. Table 4-1 provides several examples of this assessment, the process used, and the change that resulted in improvement. As can be seen in the table, not every review of organizational structures led to changes (e.g., school reorganization; the sale of the Antlers property at the Outdoor Education Center). The examples listed highlight how the College continually reflects on its mission, studies its operations, and structures itself to assure that it is best meeting that mission through its activities.

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Table 4-1 Assessment of organizational structure/procedure for Mission support/effectiveness Area/Issue Reviewed Solution or Improvement Status and effectiveness of the Graduate Studies Office

• Graduate Studies Office was dissolved and responsibilities, staff, and expertise assigned to create a more effective service system:

• Academic decision-making including curriculum and student performance transferred to deans/schools

• Marketing and recruitment transferred to Admissions • Student registration and records transferred to Registrar • Student support transferred to Advisement and Transition • Summer and Winter Session transferred to a newly formed advisory

committee Leadership/coordination of teacher education and its assessment, which spans three different schools

• Creation of the Assistant Provost for Teacher Education to provide leadership and continuity in teacher education, accreditation, and school partnerships

• Merging of the Field Placement Office and the Center for Educational Exchange into a new department, Field Experiences and School Partnerships Office (FESP)

Scope of work and responsibility of the Clark Center for International Education

• Separation of responsibilities by creating the International Programs Office to oversee study abroad programs for students

• The Clark Center will continue to focus on curricular efforts, faculty exchanges and other initiatives

Effectiveness of a part-time faculty development director

• Position will be discontinued and beginning in fall 2011, these activities will be the responsibility of a faculty committee which will save money and be more effective in meeting faculty needs

Information Resources (IR) needing several structural changes to increase efficiency and improve services

• Desktop support (PC and Mac Services) and Classroom Media Services (CMS) formerly reported to different directors but now work together to achieve seamless technology support for labs, classrooms and individuals under the direction of a single individual

• The remotely located technology help desk merged with the centrally located library circulation services to become one blended unit, the Information Resources Support Center; now users have extended-hour technology support in the convenient, centralized location of Memorial Library

• Moved Networking and Telecommunications from Administrative Computing and made it an equal IR unit with a director who has the expertise to engineer sorely-needed upgrades and reconfigurations to meet additional needs for increased bandwidth

• Systems Administration and Web Services (SAWS) was also elevated to a unit with a director, enabling the SAWS Director to collaborate equally with others and for the unit to better execute its work for the campus

Academic Affairs considered moving from the current three-school model to two schools to eliminate a dean’s office and its associated costs

• Concluded that the College would be better served by retaining the three-school model, based on the data collected

Costs and benefits of maintaining the Antlers property were examined when Auxiliary Services

• While the property has not been sold to date, the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs commissioned an Outdoor Education Task Force to review and make recommendations about all of the campus’ outdoor education facilities, including those at Raquette Lake, the Brauer Field

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received a purchase offer

Station, and Hoxie Gorge

Need to strengthen the Honors program

• The recommendations of that committee were submitted in summer 2011 and are currently under review

Need to make changes to Scholars’ Day due to increased student code violations, low attendance, and other identified issues

• Scholars’ Day moved to a Wednesday afternoon and evening with no classes cancelled for the day. Name change of event to more accurately reflect the purpose, to “Transformation: A Student Research and Creative Conference”

Consistency of transfer credit evaluation and increased attention to transfer mobility

• Combined two staff positions into one, developed a Transfer Credit Coordinator position in 2007 housed in the Advisement and Transition Office.

• Created a clearing house for the coordination and review of transfer credit evaluation for all new students with prior college credit, as well as the permission to transfer credit process for all current students

Research Question #4.4: What efforts are being made to link mission, planning and resource allocation? Like many state institutions of higher education, SUNY Cortland has faced significant financial stresses and budget cuts. Even so, the College has made consistent efforts to provide funding to support key strategic initiatives. Chapter 10, “Maximize Resources”, more fully addresses how the College allocates its resources to best achieve its goals. Here, the link between the planning process itself and resource allocation is addressed. Eighty percent of the College budget is for personnel and related expenses. The College administration has taken the position that quality cannot be sacrificed and lay-offs are a worst-case scenario. The President’s Cabinet has authorized searches for more than two dozen vacant tenure-track faculty lines as well as a number of searches to fill critical vacancies in professional and support staff lines. These positions directly reflect the strategic initiatives of Academic Excellence, Transformational Education, and Well-being. Within divisions, the College’s strategic initiatives drive resource allocation. For example, the Division of Institutional Advancement looks to the College’s academic priorities to make decisions on its own personnel and programmatic priorities. The Cortland College Foundation provides funds for scholarships and other campus initiatives such as faculty development, for example, linked directly to our values of student-centeredness and our priority on academic excellence. Mission-critical activities receive further support from a variety of other revenue sources, including the Dormitory Income Fund Reimbursable (DIFR) revenues, Income Fund Reimbursable (IFR) revenues that augment the University’s budget, State University Tuition Reimbursable Accounts (SUTRA) that result from special contract courses, summer/winter session tuition, and regular tuition in excess of the budgeted revenues (based on student FTE’s). Grants administered by the Research Foundation provide

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overhead and cost-recovery monies from external and sponsored research activities that address our priorities of academic excellence and transformational education. The Auxiliary Services Corporation (a not-for-profit private corporation that operates food services, campus store and Raquette Lake facilities) provides about $150,000 in grants to the campus through a competitive grants program. This program also finances the President’s discretionary “purpose of charter” monies. These budget processes are described in greater detail in Chapter 10, “Maximize Resources”, but are highlighted here to show evidence of the link between mission, planning and resource allocation. Research Question #4.5: How does the institution demonstrate its commitment to integrity, intellectual life and student-centeredness? How do we monitor and evaluate our adherence to our core values? SUNY Cortland has established guidelines for academic and personal conduct for all members of the campus community in The College Handbook. The online College Handbook is updated twice each year by the President’s Office and the Publications Office and is intended to be the primary reference for students, faculty and staff. It includes policies and procedures for promotion and other personnel actions, curricular change, students’ rights and responsibilities, academic integrity, the academic grievance system, and the affirmative action program. The Handbook also includes a statement upholding our commitment to preserving academic freedom and a code of ethics for faculty. Educating students about integrity, personal responsibility and respect for others is an essential part of the College Mission and core values. All faculty members are expected to include statements in the course materials indicating their commitment to uphold academic integrity. Processes for handling allegations of academic dishonesty are overseen by the Academic Grievance Tribunal. The Student Conduct Office (formerly Judicial Affairs) has responsibility for developing and administering the Code of Student Conduct. Key points from The Code are presented to students during summer orientation and in “Know the Code” presentations in the fall semester. These ideas are reinforced in COR 101, a required seminar for all new freshmen, through residence hall programs, seminars on topics such as plagiarism, and other activities sponsored by the Division of Student Affairs. The Student Conduct Office also oversees the student conduct process for students who violate provisions of the Code of Student Conduct. The College has invested in software tools such as SafeAssign that can detect and prevent plagiarism. The Provost’s Office regularly distributes Academic Dishonesty reports to the campus. In response to concerns about student ethical behavior and under the leadership of President Bitterbaum, the Philosophy Department created a Summer Ethics Institute for faculty. The Institute’s aim is to help faculty across the disciplines engage in critical ethical discussions with students. The Institute is in its seventh year, with over 60 faculty members attending. The Philosophy Department, guided by President Bitterbaum’s vision, established the Center for Ethics, Peace, and Social Justice to facilitate work on and off

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campus at the crucial intersection of social justice and ethics. The College conducts a Summer Diversity Institute, co-sponsored by the Provost’s Office, the President's Office, the Affirmative Action Committee, Africana Studies Department and the Center for Gender and Intercultural Studies, to help faculty members infuse diversity into their courses. As part of the College’s commitment to equality, SUNY Cortland is committed to upholding and maintaining all aspects of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Faculty members are expected to include information in their syllabi about accommodations available to students along with contact information for the Student Disability Services Office. SUNY Cortland sponsors 25 intercollegiate athletic teams presently involving 620 student athletes who compete at the NCAA Division III level. One of the assistant athletic directors is designated as the campus compliance officer and has primary responsibility for overseeing our efforts to ensure that we abide by all relevant NCAA, conference and campus regulations and guidelines governing such issues as eligibility for participation, procedures for contacting, enrolling and certifying transfer students, and limitations on season and practice schedules. On two occasions, the campus has self-reported minor violations to the NCAA. The College maintains comprehensive documentation needed to certify the eligibility of our student athletes to participate in intercollegiate athletics. In addition, the Assistant Athletic Director works closely with our Coordinator of Athletic Tutoring to ensure continuing commitment to the academic success of our student athletes. SUNY Cortland’s teacher education programs have placed strong emphasis on professional dispositions and expectations for teacher candidates. In particular, the Teacher Education Council (TEC) adopted the Fair Process Policy and Procedures for Review of Professional Competencies in Teacher Education in order to establish fair, accurate, consistent, and bias-free application of academic and professional criteria and policies for admission, retention and graduation. The Field Experience Handbook is available to all teacher candidates online and includes the Fair Process policy and professional disposition expectations. Students who apply for admission to a teacher education program must answer 12 disposition-related questions used to assess possible issues regarding academic dishonesty, violations of the student code of conduct, or of local, state, or federal law. If they disclose any violations, their application is forwarded to the Teacher Education Candidate Review Committee (TECRC) for review using a rubric approved by SUNY System’s legal counsel. Throughout their enrollment in the teacher education unit, candidates are required to self-disclose any subsequent violations to their Associate Dean. Failure to do so may result in program dismissal. The Associate Dean documents the nature of the disclosure and files a report with TECRC, which follows standard protocol in evaluating violations. Teacher candidates may not enroll in any field experience if they have a pending judicial action on their record and they must go through the full TECRC review process again the semester before student teaching. Judicial records are maintained in the Student Conduct Office (formerly Judicial Affairs

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Office). TECRC records are maintained in the office of the Dean of the School of Education. Faculty members are expected to adhere to the highest standards of integrity in the conduct of their scholarly work. The Research and Sponsored Programs Office (RSPO) oversees the administration of all externally funded grants and works to ensure that funds are expended according to the guidelines of the sponsoring organization. The campus adheres to the Conflict of Interest Policy established by the SUNY Research Foundation, that precludes principal investigators from having any financial interest that will, or may be reasonably expected to, bias the design, conduct, or reporting of sponsored research. The RSPO also has the responsibility for informing faculty of our Responsible Conduct of Research Policy. This policy requires that any principal investigator overseeing an external award ensures that any undergraduate students, graduate students or postdoctoral researchers supported by that award receive appropriate training in the responsible and ethical conduct of research. For research involving human subjects, the Institutional Review Board (IRB) provides oversight. The IRB is committed to maintaining policies and procedures that assure human subjects protections and that facilitates scientific work to advance the scholarly achievements of faculty, staff, and students. The IRB is committed to ensuring a culture of compliance at SUNY Cortland, by working with individual investigators, conducting outreach, training, and educational opportunities. The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) oversees faculty research involving animals and ensures that the campus adheres to all pertinent regulations regarding animal use. Members of the IACUC meet twice yearly to conduct regular inspections of all animal research labs on campus. The College Handbook includes policies and procedures for promotion and other personnel actions. As stated in Chapter 220.06, “these policies and procedures guarantee the essential right of due process…used here to mean a system of clear, orderly procedures in which the full disclosure of basic decisions and the specific reasons for those decisions are made at every stage of the process.” The Faculty Senate Academic Faculty Affairs Committee has the responsibility of reviewing department personnel policies every three years to ensure that they are in compliance with SUNY Board of Trustees and College policies, procedures, and criteria. This committee also provides assistance when requested from faculty members that have experienced problems with the review process that were not satisfactorily resolved by the appropriate department chair or personnel committee chair. In such cases, the committee consults with the UUP Grievance chair and attempts to resolve the problem or refers the faculty member to the appropriate administrative or faculty agency. The Human Resources (HR) Office plays a key role in upholding our campus commitment to integrity and fairness. It has the responsibility to inform faculty of reporting requirements for outside employment and honoraria. HR informs Management Confidential employees of their obligations for state disclosure of potential conflicts of interest. The Office provides training to ensure that departments conducting searches follow appropriate protocols, and the Affirmative Action Officer reviews departmental

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recommendations to ensure that candidates were considered and selected on the basis of stated criteria and job responsibilities. Policies and procedures related to all searches are summarized in a hiring manual developed by the HR Office that is distributed to all units conducting searches. It also provides mandatory workshops on topics including prevention of sexual harassment. The Human Resources Office investigates claims of harassment, bias-related incidents and other grievances and works with appropriate administrators to address these issues. The campus has recently established new procedures for reporting and managing bias-related instances. The Executive Assistant to the President serves as the Title IX Coordinator, overseeing all offices that deal with sexual harassment issues. The Division of Finance and Management has established a number of policies and procedures to ensure that the College provides responsible stewardship of the resources entrusted to it. Purchase requisitions must be reviewed and signed by a department chair and appropriate dean or vice president. Expenditures for travel, equipment and other purchases, including those made with department procurement cards, are reviewed to ensure that they are in compliance with relevant policies, and as a state agency, our financial operations may be subject to regular audits by the comptroller’s office. There is a campus auditor that is responsible for reviewing purchases. The internal audit process is described more fully in Chapter 10: “Maximize Resources”. The College actively promotes energy saving measures and recycling efforts, not just for the budgetary impact, but as a means of demonstrating our commitment to environmental responsibility and sustainability. A core value at SUNY Cortland is student-centeredness. The College has a number of offices and units that are focused on promoting student well-being, including health services, counseling, advisement, admissions and financial aid. All of these units adhere to their relevant professional standards regarding the protection of students’ rights. Examples of student-centeredness activities are provided in Table 4-2. Through these various means, in all divisions and levels throughout the College, coupled with periodic review and reflection, we have described our process of monitoring and evaluating how well we adhere to our stated values. In summary, integrity is a deeply held core value at SUNY Cortland that is consistently demonstrated in the daily life of our campus.

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Table 4-2. Examples of student-centeredness at SUNY Cortland The Division of Institutional Advancement has placed emphasis on fundraising to support student scholarships to ensure broad access to a college education.

Each semester, as many as 70 students participate in the State of Poverty Simulation (p. 4) which is conducted on campus by the Cortland County Community Action Project (CAPCO).

The College is currently beginning the second year of its Bringing Theory to Practice project, through which it is identifying ways in which high-impact teaching strategies help improve students’ well-being, especially with regard to empathy, identity, emotional competence and resiliency. This project is administered through the Institute for Civic Engagement with funding from the American Association of Colleges and Universities.

The College has received approval of its application to the President’s Interfaith Community Service Campus Challenge. The project is titled the “SUNY Cortland Interfaith and Non-Faith Community Service Campus Challenge,” and the College will conduct a variety of activities that promote empathy in the form of cross-cultural understanding and competence. “Cross-cultural,” in this case, includes differences based on ethnicity, race, and spiritual traditions.

The Division of Student Affairs has developed a new policy that distinguishes between “recognized” and “registered” student groups. Recognized groups are open to all students and are eligible for funding from the Student Government Association. As a public institution, we recognize our responsibility to promote the free exchange of ideas in a respectful environment. Therefore, in order to comply with federal law while also being consistent with the College’s commitment to non-discrimination, a new category of student groups has been established. Registered groups, i.e., those that condition membership on a specific religious belief, are not eligible for funding, due to non-discrimination policies, but are allowed to organize and hold meetings on campus.

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Chapters 5-7: Academic Excellence – Standards 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14

Chapter 5

Academic Excellence - Students

Standard 8—Student Admissions and Retention

Central to its mission, SUNY Cortland aspires to academic excellence. As an institution, we strive to cultivate programs of academic excellence that are recognized for integrity of curriculum, outstanding student learning outcomes, and contributions to the discipline. A key aspect of academic excellence is the students we admit and retain. Research Question #5.1: How effectively do admissions policies, practices, and procedures, and the infrastructure of academic programs, contribute to the ability of the College to achieve its mission? Student Recruitment Prospective students make informed decisions to attend SUNY Cortland from a variety of Admissions' strategies, as listed in Table 5-1 and evaluated yearly in the Admissions Office annual reports. Table 5-1 Methods used by SUNY Cortland Admissions to recruit students Electronic Print - Websites

Admissions Advisement and Transition Transfer Equivalencies Academics College Catalog

- Email - Social networking sites

Facebook mySpace Twitter

- Online Chat Nights - Virtual college fairs - External organizations

Hobsons College Board Collegeview.com Chat University Collegeweeklive.com yourcampus360.com

- Academic department fliers - Academic department web reference cards - “Career Moments: A Guide for Graduate

Students” - SUNY Viewbook - SUNY Cortland Viewbooks - Your Next Moment - Winning Moments - Enrollment Information Booklet

In Person - Group information sessions - Open houses - Mini-open houses - Personal appointments - Telephone

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On- and off-campus financial aid information is provided to students and parents/guardians on the Financial Aid Office website, on the Admissions website along with information about Cost/Aid, and in the College Catalog. The Financial Aid Office completes a yearly review of the accuracy and effectiveness of SUNY Cortland’s financial aid information, including scholarship materials. Methods to encourage applications from underrepresented students are developed and implemented. Student Opinion Survey (SOS) results show that SUNY Cortland students are significantly more satisfied with Financial Aid services than our peer institutions, with a mean rating equal to 3.68. In an effort to provide a coherent and consistent message about what makes SUNY Cortland unique, the College recently developed a marketing and branding strategy. Information provided to prospective students and the public aligns with the College marketing and brand initiatives, SUNY Cortland Brand and Enrollment Facts. The College's website is the primary marketing tool for student recruitment. During 2009, a new web design and Content Management System (CMS) was implemented, permitting departments, units and individual offices such as Admissions and Financial Aid, to write and update resource information in a more efficient and timely manner. In addition to web-based access, a variety of printed recruitment materials are developed, updated, and reprinted annually. Offices extensively involved in student recruitment make a concerted effort to review public data for accuracy and effectiveness. The College's recent website redesign resulted from user trend data from visitors to Admissions web pages and data collected from prospective student and parent usability studies. The Admissions FAQ section is updated frequently to represent questions received by the Admissions Office. The College's Publications and Electronic Media Office coordinates the design, editing and production of communication material. Enrollment Management and Admissions Annual Reports provide data that demonstrate the effectiveness and accuracy of these documents. Student Admissions SUNY Cortland provides information about the College admission application process to prospective students, parents/guardians and school counselors through the campus website, in printed materials, and in presentations by Admissions counselors at on- and off-campus recruitment functions. The College's website provides clear instructions on required documentation, criteria for admission, policies and notification timelines in the Freshman Admissions Process and Transfer Admissions Process. Application information for SUNY Cortland is also available through the SUNY system website in the SUNY Application and the Common Application. Prospective students have additional information available about attending SUNY Cortland through web-based FAQs, Enrollments Facts, Accepted Student messaging and a variety of online materials generated by Admissions. When Admissions policies and procedures are changed, the policy is developed and submitted to the Associate Provost for Enrollment Management and Marketing for review and endorsement and then submitted to the Provost and President’s Cabinet for final approval. When approved, a change in policy is then added

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to the College Handbook and College Catalog as official policy. All changes in policy are incorporated into marketing and informational materials to inform prospective students and the general public. Information on Graduate Admissions is available at this link. In addition to standard information on admissions, a variety of materials are available to prospective students and their parents/guardians on academic programs, and any placement or diagnostic testing required for specific programs (Advanced Placement; CLEP; Foreign Language Placement; International Baccalaureate). Newly admitted students receive immediate access to the online myRedDragon campus system where they can access data and information that will be relevant to their student experience at Cortland. The transfer credit evaluation process is well-developed, and prospective and accepted transfer students can obtain information regarding their transfer courses in easily accessible web locations. When an incoming freshman or transfer student commits to attend SUNY Cortland by paying a deposit and submitting college transcripts of completed coursework, the College evaluates the coursework for acceptance as a SUNY Cortland equivalent course or elective. Each student is mailed a Transfer Equivalency Worksheet that details how coursework will be transferred and is given instructions on viewing their degree audit report (CAPP) to see how the courses fit into their degree plan. Prior to orientation and registration, all students are directed to web pages for reviewing charts on the Transfer Equivalencies for college-level, Advanced Placement (AP), foreign language and other disciplines placement (CLEP) and International Baccalaureate coursework. In 2000, the campus established the Advisement and Transition Office to increase support to faculty and students in the area of academic advising. As a result, both the Student Opinion Survey and the National Survey of Student Engagement show that students are satisfied with advising and that this satisfaction has increased over time. (See Advising Satisfaction Responses). In addition, the Advisement and Transition Office offers an Orientation program for first-year students and Transfer Transition Seminars for transfer students prior to the beginning of each semester. These programs are designed to introduce new SUNY Cortland students and their parents to the academic and co-curricular services and programs vital to their successful transition to the Cortland community. A presentation at each transition seminar specifically highlights “Academic Transitions and Preparing for Registration,” which includes information on transfer credit policies and procedures. The Advisement and Transition Office completes yearly self-review, which is evidenced in the updates in documents, publications, outreach efforts and types of workshops made available to students and faculty each year. Advisement assistance for faculty and students, for example, is made available in the annual online publication of the “Wiser Advisor”.

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Communication of Learning Outcomes College-wide and program level expected student learning outcomes are clearly communicated to prospective and admitted students and are documented in the College Catalog as the Bachelor’s Degree Requirements, with specific focus on General Education requirements. The catalog and departmental web pages document specific degree major requirements and expected outcomes. This information is reinforced for admitted students during their first weekend on campus at the annual Academic Convocation, an event providing an additional opportunity to inform entering students of their academic expectations. All first-year and new transfer students are invited to participate in the Academic Convocation and between 65-70% attend each year. In follow-up surveys, asked if they understand the importance of Convocation in setting high academic expectations at Cortland, the vast majority of students agreed or strongly agreed (2008 – 91%; 2009 – 89%; 2010 – 77%). In the case of teacher education programs, teacher certification examination results are one of the primary institution-wide assessment measures. The data provides a rich resource of information routinely reported by the College to the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and on SUNY Cortland’s website on the College Catalog exam pass-rates page. The Career Services Annual Graduate and Employment Survey assessment information is also made publicly available. College-wide assessments are conducted but availability of the results, particularly to prospective and current students is not consistent (e.g., NSSE, SOS). Institutional Research and Assessment is currently upgrading its website to provide assessment results to the broader College community on a more routine and comprehensive basis. The SOS shows that for about 90% of students, their academic experiences at Cortland meet or exceed their expectations. A review of admission and enrollment data identified increases in admission applications, student diversity and selectivity (also see Chapter 9: “Well-being”). The mean GPA of entering freshmen at SUNY Cortland has risen from 88.8% in 2005 to 90.5% in 2010 (See New Freshmen Profiles). Entering freshmen indicate they were active in community service and volunteerism (42%), athletics (87.7%), and performing arts (25%). Approximately 44% enter SUNY Cortland with college credit. Equally important is the increase in diversity among the applicant pool and those who enrolled at the College (See Enrollment by Race); Cortland is committed to increasing diversity on the campus while fostering a multicultural-based understanding across all social groups represented by the student body. Since 2002, when the last Middle States Self-Study took place, the diversity of the student body at SUNY Cortland has increased significantly. Since 2001, the percentage of undergraduates choosing to enroll in “pre-major” status has steadily declined from 7.5% to under 5%, suggesting that the College has improved the effectiveness of academic information provided to students by helping them choose their major earlier in the admissions/enrollment process. When first-time students

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choose a specific major at entry, less than 40% change their major, a proportion that has remained fairly consistent since 2002. Only about 25% of incoming transfers change their major, also fairly consistent since 2002. Since 2007, the number of transfer students applying to Cortland has increased from approximately 2,450 to over 2,800 in 2010. The transfer acceptance rate has remained consistently near 40%, similar to first-time freshman applicants. Fall transfer enrollments are typically around 600, with a yield rate of over 50%, compared to a 25% yield rate among first-time applicants. The information available to transfer students on admission and transfer of previous credit is extensive. The relative effectiveness of the information and the process involved should be explored further. In summary, the admissions policies, practices, and procedures, and the infrastructure of academic programs appear to contribute to the ability of the College to attract and retain quality students to achieve its mission. Recommendation 5.1 a. The Institutional Research and Assessment Office should begin to provide reports on new student (freshmen and transfer) grade distributions in General Education and other baccalaureate required courses. b. The Institutional Research and Assessment Office should provide standard survey results (e.g., NSSE, SOS) comparing transfer students to new first-time students. c. Develop methods to measure stakeholder (parents, prospective and current students, faculty, staff) satisfaction levels with the informational materials (accessibility, clarity) provided on the web; i.e., whether they are sufficient to allow for productive decision-making processes and data-gathering. Research Question #5.2: How effectively does knowledge about incoming students influence and inform the teaching and learning process and the services provided? In addition to academic departments, College offices working directly with incoming students include Admissions, associate deans of the three schools, Athletics Department, Academic Support and Achievement Program (ASAP), Student Disability Services, International Programs Office (IPO), and the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP). (See Chapter 7—“Academic Excellence: Educational Offerings: for detailed information and data regarding the latter three offices.) The Advisement and Transition Office sponsors new student orientation and COR 101: The Cortland Experience course developed to assist new students with their transition to SUNY Cortland. Each year a small number of "Special Talent" students are admitted. These are students with achievements and recognition outside of traditional academic environments such as gifted or accomplished athletes, musicians, artists and leaders. Departments accepting a Special Talent freshman may choose to provide additional support. For example, the Athletics Department employs two staff members focused on helping students with time

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management, study and note taking skills, learning styles and reading retention issues. The Athletics Department also offers the NCAA’s CHAMPS/Life Skills program with the goal “to promote student-athletes’ ownership of their academic, athletic, career, personal and community responsibilities.” The Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) admits economically disadvantaged New York State residents whose high school academic performance levels are not considered acceptable in traditional admissions criteria. (See Chapter 9: “Well-being” for retention and graduation information on students who are admitted to the College via Special Talent or EOP.) Knowledge about incoming students does influence and inform the teaching and learning process through the services provided to students at SUNY Cortland, especially to those who need additional support to achieve. Recommendation 5.2 Expand, (based on demographics and increasing enrollment) student support programs, including more support for upper-level courses. Improve the methods used to make students aware of these programs. Research Question #5.3: Regarding the future of the institution’s student enrollment base, how does the College position itself to manage anticipated demographic changes? Enrollment planning begins with the consideration of the College's local resources and needs and is then coordinated with the State University of New York. SUNY solicits a five-year enrollment plan from each campus annually. SUNY's enrollment projection model converts planned headcount enrollment to Annual Average Full-Time Equivalents (AAFTE). (See Headcount Enrollment History, SUNY Cortland Enrollment Plan). SUNY then compares the annual projections with the historical trends of SUNY Cortland and other SUNY institutions before approving system-wide enrollment that will be funded through state and tuition support. The SUNY Cortland five-year enrollment plan takes into account local capacities such as programs of study, revenues from NY and non-NY tuition, undergraduate and graduate levels and full- and part-time enrollment. SUNY Cortland was aware of the projected decline in New York State's high school graduate population well before the decline began in 2008-09. In 2004, the College embarked on a strategy to address the projected demographic changes by taking steps to secure its market niche through a focused marketing approach and upgraded recruitment and admission functions. Targeted electronic messaging, upgrades to printed communication, paperless admission and financial aid processing, a redesigned web site, additional recruitment staff and upgrades to visitor options are a few of the examples that the College invested in to address the demographic changes. These efforts have been effective, as demonstrated by the Stamats Score Card report. SUNY Cortland is well-positioned to attract qualified and diverse students while maintaining a “truth in advertising” approach in the materials to prospective students (See Chapter 9: “Well-being”). This is particularly vital at this juncture since the number of students reaching

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college age will decrease in the next decade and college competition for these students will increase. The projected decreases in New York State high school graduates and state financial support were acknowledged by SUNY as key considerations for the 2011-2016 enrollment projection process. In a responsive measure, SUNY instituted enrollment plans for 2011-16 that hold new freshmen and transfer levels to those of the 2009-2010 year. Enrollment documentation on official and planned headcount and AAFTE enrollments for SUNY Cortland indicate that the undergraduate headcount and AAFTE will begin to level off through reductions in new freshmen enrollment. The decrease in freshmen coincides with the projected demographic changes. Tuition revenue will be maintained at the College through slight increases in full-time graduate enrollment (See Enrollment Projection and Planning). Additionally, new scholarship funds can focus on attracting a broader market of students (e.g. the “Future New Yorkers” scholarships for out-of-state students and international awards for international students. Development of scholarships to attract students from a non-New York State base may be necessary as enrollments adjust to decreasing numbers of college-age students. Recommendation 5.3 a. Discuss whether introductory courses transferred in by freshmen are truly preparing them for upper-level (major-based) coursework at the college level. b. Assess the effectiveness of “college-level” courses taken while in high school and other course credit equivalencies (including credits by examination, transfer credits.) c. Undertake a more integrated review process for scholarships and how some scholarships could be leveraged to attract students from a broader national or international base. d. Allocate sufficient resources for marketing, identification of target audiences and competitors, and commitment to a formal integrated brand marketing. e. Assess on a regular basis the effectiveness of the various tools used by Admissions. Research Question #5.4: What are faculty, departments, academic programs, and support programs doing to support and retain students, including pre-majors, and how effective are their practices? SUNY Cortland has a fairly strong retention rate (see Retention and Graduation Rates), and its efforts to support students include initiatives for all students, as well as those focused on support for students who need additional services. The Advisement and Transition Office has many initiatives that promote retention including:

• New Student Orientation and Transfer Transition Seminars (in July and January) are designed to ease student transition to the College community.

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• COR 101—“The Cortland Experience” facilitates the intellectual and social integration of first-time students into the SUNY Cortland academic community.

• Learning Communities for Pre-Majors allow students to explore the link between their interests and academic opportunities at SUNY Cortland. These often lead to greater student satisfaction and success in the first year of college.

• Support services and resources for transfer, non-traditional, and graduate students

• Academic advising outreach and support in various forms including workshops, advisor training, newsletters

• Transfer credit evaluation for all new students with prior college credit, and permission to transfer credit for all current students seeking to meet their degree requirements.

Nearly 5% of the undergraduate student body this year is composed of pre-majors, and over 21% of the entering freshmen class are pre-majors. To ensure their retention, these students have a greater need of support. The one-credit COR 101 course for first semester freshmen, identifies at-risk students through the College Student Inventory (CSI). At the semester’s mid-term point all students enrolled in COR 101 receive a letter outlining the potential issues highlighted by their CSI scores and also potential issues with mid–semester grade reports. This letter also outlines services available to the students including Advisement and Transition, ASAP, Financial Aid, the Counseling Center and Career Services. In addition, the Advisement and Transition Office sends a letter to all COR 101 instructors identifying any of their students who may be struggling with the transition to college and outlining services available to the students, including Advisement and Transition, ASAP, Financial Aid, the Counseling Center, Career Services and Multicultural Life and Diversity. Those students identified then receive an email from Advisement and Transition offering to place them into a program for “at-risk” students. This process also alerts Residence Hall Directors, instructors, and other professionals. While still in the pilot stage, the COR 101 process is yielding positive indicators. In the 2010-2011 academic year, an addition to this pilot program featured a special section of COR in the second semester that focused on career exploration and non-traditional careers. Students who still identify as pre-majors after 56.5 credits receive a letter from Advisement and Transition asking them to attend one of the major-exploration workshops. In addition, the associate deans of all three schools work closely with academic departments, EOP and other offices to support students. Each associate dean tracks mid-term estimates of students and provides outreach for those who may be struggling academically. The ASAP office offers professional support for writing, reading, study skills, and mathematics. The Student Disability Services Office assists students who have an identified disability with testing, test-taking, note-taking, obtaining downloaded textbooks, and other appropriate accommodations.

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The College’s IPEDS graduation rates, SOS summaries, and NSSE reports contain data that help monitor the success of institutional efforts toward retention. Though it appears that SUNY Cortland is effective in supporting and retaining students, especially those most at risk, increased use of assessment data would be useful to improve and further target programs, services and initiative for specific groups of students. Recommendation 5.4 a. Explore the development of more support programs (beyond EOP) that target other students who marginally meet the standards for admission. b. Participation in programs designed to help under-functioning students is largely voluntary. Consider making participation mandatory. In summary, the College is effective in recruiting, admitting, and retaining students and in providing necessary supports to those students who need them to achieve their academic goals. More rigorous assessment of outcomes from specific services would help to further strengthen student academic excellence.

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Chapter 6

Academic Excellence--Faculty

Standard 10--Faculty

Research Question #6.1: To what extent does the institution’s faculty engage in creative curriculum development, interdisciplinary collaboration and the use of new technology in the pursuit of outstanding teaching and learning? What resources support this engagement, and how is it recognized? SUNY Cortland faculty is responsible for creative curriculum development, including interdisciplinary collaboration and use of new technology in the pursuit of outstanding teaching and learning. In a ten-year review of new curriculum development activity, significant advances in academic quality and technology integration have occurred. One example is the 2000-2005 U.S. Department of Education Title III grant that SUNY Cortland was awarded, aimed at strengthening enrollment in the Arts and Sciences through: a) creating new major programs, b) developing learning communities to attract new students and pre-majors into arts and sciences, c) infusing technology (e.g. course-management software) into curricula, and d) increasing use of the Outdoor Education Center at Raquette Lake, used historically and extensively by the Schools of Education and Professional Studies. As part of these Title III objectives, four new interdisciplinary majors were approved by SUNY and registered with the New York State Education Department: New Media Design (2004), New Communications Media (2004), Geographic Information Systems (2002) and Conservation Biology (2003). Other major programs emerged at this same time including: Professional Writing (2001), Biomedical Sciences (2003), Criminology (2003), Outdoor Recreation (2006), Recreation Management (2006), Therapeutic Recreation (2006), Art Studio (2006), Archaeology (2008), Coaching (2009), Exercise Science (2009), and Sport Studies (2009). Another area of curriculum development emerged from faculty interested in diversifying graduate degree programs in the Schools of Professional Studies and Arts and Sciences. Prior to 2006, SUNY Cortland’s graduate degree programs were predominantly in teacher education. Through student demand, faculty developed new curriculum for eight graduate degree programs including Master of Science (M.S.) degrees in Sport Management (2006), International Sport Management (2008), Community Health (2007), and Communication Disorders (2009). M.S. degrees in Coaching and Kinesiology are pending NYSED approval (2011), as are two Professional Science Master (PSM) degree programs in Advanced Materials and Sustainable Energy. Creative curriculum development continues to keep pace with external mandates and evolving opportunities. In October 2010, faculty in the departments of Childhood/Early

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Childhood and Foundations and Social Advocacy received a $1.4 million U.S. Department of Education grant from the Special Education Pre-service Improvement Program. This five-year, five-person leadership team is expected to help increase the number of SUNY Cortland graduates who meet the highly qualified teacher requirements in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act. This program revision, in turn, will result in our candidates’ being able to more effectively serve students with high incidence disabilities who are increasingly placed in inclusive classrooms. Additionally, the Departments of Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Economics and the Professional Writing Program are exploring two new professional science master programs in Conservation Biology and Biomedical Sciences. The collaboration is supported by a second round of Sloan Foundation funding through SUNY Oswego (April 2011) under the Dean of Arts and Sciences. Faculty, staff and students can stay apprised of SUNY Cortland’s curriculum actions as well as have access to forms, policies, and procedures for curriculum on the Curriculum website. Faculty submit course syllabi to the dean of their respective schools (syllabi are available for review at this link). In addition, policies related to course syllabi may be found in the Chapter 220.02 of the College Handbook. Faculty and staff have also been catalysts in the development of creative new learning communities (Table 6-1 describes some examples of learning communities). According to the Advisement and Transition Office, there are numerous faculty members participating in learning communities with over 30 unique courses created from several departments. Table 6-1 Examples of Learning Communities at SUNY Cortland American History and Music Backgrounds in Art Earth and Sky Forming History Human Communication

Learning (In)Deed Molecular World Our Storied Land Outdoor Adventure and Recreation Peace and Justice

Play Across Cultures Social Issues in Sport Tech First! Planet Earth World First

Innovations in teaching and learning include the use of SUNY Cortland’s Center for Environmental and Outdoor Education. Faculty are encouraged to incorporate this unique College resource in instruction. Camp Huntington and Antlers at Raquette Lake, the most frequently used facilities in the Center, are located some three hours from the main campus in the Adirondacks. To familiarize faculty with the Raquette Lake facilities, the Provost began scheduling new faculty orientations at that location in 2003, where new hires spend a weekend with the Provost, deans, selected faculty leaders and key administrators. The weekend is designed to facilitate networking and explore the use of the facilities to advance curriculum goals. The senior faculty members serve as mentors for the incoming faculty and help to establish a relaxed environment for cross-disciplinary collaborations. The retreat also provides an opportunity for new faculty to

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interact directly with the administration, and to learn about the operations of the College. Currently, The Center for Environmental and Outdoor Education reports that there were more than 1,000 students using the outdoor center as part of their academic coursework annually. Camp Huntington offers a technology classroom equipped with a wireless communication system, sensors for monitoring water temperatures in the lake, webcams for nocturnal bird migrations, and is fully stocked for recreation, camping, and other group leadership and learning activities. Concurrent with the creative curriculum development, learning communities, and use of the outdoor education, SUNY Cortland has many examples of creative curriculum development that is interdisciplinary in nature. One such example is NeoVox (meaning “new voice” in Latin), an international, online learning environment that simulates a professional newsroom. Supported by a Fund for the Improvement of Post Secondary Education (FIPSE) award from the U.S. Department of Education in 2001, the newsroom provides an authentic learning experience for new media design, communications, professional writing, political science, art and art history, international studies and modern language students with a place to hone skills in a global work environment. SUNY Cortland students communicate with other students around the globe to produce a magazine that helps inform each other about issues confronting societies and learn perspectives about topics from one another under guided instruction. NeoVox offers students from any major a 12-credit hour internship in which they take new media design and professional writing courses to effectively communicate with others electronically. Interns work under the direction of a full-time director who assists them in selecting the most important news pieces for weekly publication. Other initiatives promoting high impact learning experiences are infused in academic programs. Early in 2010, the President formed the President’s Leadership Coalition for Student Engagement to establish a communication forum for enriched student learning experiences. High impact practices are operationalized at SUNY Cortland to include service learning, undergraduate research, community-based research, senior thesis, capstone courses, internships, international experiences, and multicultural experiences. The Leadership Coalition’s charge promotes the integration of these practices with cognitive and multiple modes of learning. Examples of campus-wide activities influencing curricular innovation are described further in Chapter 8: “Transformational Education.“ Technology Integration Roughly 40% of faculty (336 instructors teaching 719 courses) currently use Blackboard course management software for instructional technology in their classrooms (See eLearning Report). To support initial eLearning infrastructure, the College licensed WebCT as its course management software (now Blackboard), outfitted its outdoor education facility with technology access, and offered a series of workshops and

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seminars, coupled with innovation in teaching technology grants to familiarize faculty with technology enhancements for instruction. Currently according to data from Academic Computing Services, approximately 3,000 unique students are enrolled in a class using Blackboard each semester, representing approximately 50% of our full-time students. Like faculty, students have come to expect fully integrated, hybrid, or other forms of technology-supported course content in their teaching and learning. The development of fresh ideas and innovative practices comes in many forms, including blogging, wiki’s, iTunes, Skype, iPhones, iPads, iPods, and other handheld learning devices and/or video conferencing. Some faculty employ advanced multi-media for instruction, while others rely on simple tools like Power Point for presentations or data references. A full-time instructional designer is available to support instructional technology, with another position recently approved. Additional assistance for workshops, walk-ins and phone calls is provided through the Division of Information Resources that is located in the Library Learning Commons. The Library Commons enables collaborations for automated learning through interactions with skilled professionals, librarians and networking staff. A specific example of technology integration is the development of online, or hybrid delivery of courses in the coaching pedagogy masters program offered in Physical Education. This program is offered over three consecutive summers. Each summer, graduate students take one course online, one course on campus, and two courses in a combined online and in-residence (hybrid) format. Over 220 students have participated in this coursework to date. There is also an emerging group of faculty interested in designing globally connected courses. Support for international team teaching for new courses or amended courses is being offered through SUNY’s Center for Online Learning with an instructional designer assisting those interested. There has also been a significant increase in the number of distance learning classes offered by the faculty. Initially, much of the development of distance learning pedagogy occurred during summer and winter session courses. Once the initial investment in course development had occurred, however, faculty members began to deliver regular semester-long courses during the academic year in this manner. Faculty Development In addition to the Learning Commons, the Faculty Development Center (FDC) provides workshops and programs offered by faculty experts to help colleagues improve teaching and learning. The FDC coordinates programs to target teaching, the pursuit of scholarship, and the establishment generally of an intellectual climate that will enhance the experiences of all teaching faculty. Institutional efforts in faculty development also include grants for teaching initiatives and research, lecture programs, teaching and research award programs, and educational programs on new teaching and research technologies.

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Several funding avenues on campus support faculty development activities. These include grants from the Faculty Development Center, the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, the College Research Committee, the Cortland College Foundation, the Undergraduate Research Council, the United University Programs/Joint Labor Management Committee, Auxiliary Services Corporation (ASC), the Dean’s Office of each respective school, the Provost’s Office and the President’s Office (Haines Fund). The College regularly supports sabbatical leaves for tenured faculty members. Financial support for faculty development includes grant monies for conference presentation and research travel, funds for summer research and conference travel in support of undergraduate research, funds for instruments, supplies, equipment and unusual faculty development opportunities. A formal mentoring program is in place for all new faculty members. Tenured faculty members who have been recognized for outstanding performance in teaching, scholarship or service are paired with incoming faculty from outside their department, but within the same school. An initial introductory lunch is followed by a series of informal opportunities to connect between mentor and mentee. There is also a structured orientation program for all new faculty members with a two-day seminar before classes start in the fall. This initial seminar is followed by sessions throughout the academic year to meet the needs of new faculty members. Those who are interested receive follow-up support through the Research and Sponsored Programs Office in constructing a personal five-year plan for scholarship, teaching and service tapping into College resources to support their career development with advance notifications of seminars and consultants coming to campus on topics of individual interest. Several annual summer institutes are offered to faculty on various topics in scholarship and teaching. The Institute for Infusing Diversity and Multiculturalism into the Curriculum and the Summer Ethics Institute are two examples; these institutes focus, respectively, on infusing concepts of class, race, sexuality, and gender in the classroom, and intensive training in the rudiments of ethical thinking. Other programmatic offerings for faculty development are robust and diverse. These have included book chats, lecture series, year-long conversations and panels on such topics as millennial learners, multiculturalism and social justice, service learning, students with disabilities, portfolio development, publishing, grant writing and peer review, conflict resolution and life/work balance. Recommendation 6.1 a. Institutionalize high-impact learning experiences into academic programming. b. Increase the number of interdisciplinary collaborations.

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Research Question #6.2: How successful are the faculty in pursuing teaching, research and service? By what criteria and process are faculty members evaluated, and how does feedback from the process improve performance? Faculty Success in Teaching, Research and Service In line with our core values of student-centeredness and intellectual life, one of the hallmarks of the faculty at SUNY Cortland is their ability to achieve an appropriate balance between teaching, research and service. This balance has been promoted by reasonable expectations and a supportive environment. The College was encouraged to resolve perceptions of workload inequity in its previous Middle States Self Study, and subsequently addressed this issue by shifting faculty members to a standard nine- semester credit hour teaching load in 2005. The two-fold purpose of this change was to ameliorate the perception of workload inequity and to afford faculty additional time to conduct scholarship. At the same time, the Provost and the deans agreed to an informal standard for research productivity of one peer reviewed work of scholarship or creative activity every other year. The effort to heighten intellectual discourse across the campus resulted in furthering the sponsored activity of the faculty, with the support of the Research and Sponsored Programs Office. Since 2005, SUNY Cortland has improved its ranking among the thirteen SUNY peer comprehensive colleges, from 11th to 7th, by 2010-2011. According to the Sponsored Programs Activity Report (SPAR) produced and audited by the Research Foundation, SUNY Cortland is the only campus among 13 to improve its ranking by more than 2 levels, and in point of fact increased its ranking by 4 levels. From 2005-2006 to 2010-2011, faculty engagement in sponsored activity grew from 57 awards to 72 awards, an increase of 26%, and from $2.45 million to $3.49 million, a 42% increase. (See Supplemental Appendices, Chapter 6 for SPAR Report data). Sponsored activity has helped to foster a robust internal grants program that supports even greater excellence in faculty scholarship. Promoting further cultural shift, the Provost also redirected resources to increase each full-time faculty member’s travel allocation by $300 (37.5%) and pledged support of $100 per full-time faculty member for their professional organizational membership(s). The redirected resources are largely a result of increases in indirect cost returns from grants, and a number of smaller and separate funds, to maximize and simplify travel funding for faculty in support of their research and scholarship. Those who receive funding are strongly encouraged to share their scholarly achievements among colleagues (e.g., at departmental meetings and open Sandwich Seminars) as a means of further promoting interdisciplinary collaborations and providing recognition for faculty accomplishments. As a result of these combined efforts, at the time of review for continuing appointment and promotion most faculty members have exceeded the minimum expectations for research and scholarship (See departmental annual reports), and it is not unusual for faculty to average a peer reviewed publication every year by their sixth year of service. The increase in scholarly productivity has a direct bearing on the increased competitive positioning for grant applications, and, importantly, it has not come at the expense of

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excellence in teaching. In fact, many faculty continue to score very highly on the Course Teacher Evaluations completed by students, one measure of teaching effectiveness (See Departmental Annual Reports). In addition to traditional classroom teaching, full-time faculty members at SUNY Cortland teach through their work as academic advisors. SUNY Cortland has a faculty-based advising model in which students are assigned a specific advisor within their chosen major department, and this one-on-one work is critical to building strong working relationships and contributing to student retention (See survey results on student views on advising). Advising is a shared responsibility in which the student is expected to be an active and engaged partner in guiding academic growth. In 2000, the campus established the Advisement and Transition Office to provide advising support for faculty and students. Faculty service is one area in which opportunities to contribute may exceed the supply of available participants. In part, this has resulted from the budget constraints surrounding the replacement of full-time tenure track faculty as attrition has occurred. A total of 52 tenure-track faculty lines and nine additional full-time lecturer positions were vacant at the end of 2010, primarily as the result of the large number taking the early retirement incentive, as well as a few resignations. While over half of these faculty positions are being filled (35 faculty positions), nearly 10 percent of the full-time faculty positions will still remain vacant at the start of the 2011-12 academic year. The decrease in the number of full-time faculty has a negative and increased impact on the service workload of those remaining at the College. Faculty members hired at SUNY Cortland are highly qualified in their fields. The list of full-time and part-time faculty and degrees earned is located in the undergraduate and graduate College catalogs. In addition, data on faculty reappointment, continuing appointment and promotion decisions confirm that the vast majority of faculty members are effective teachers, productive scholars and contributors in service to their departments, schools, the College and the community on promotion and appointments. Annual reports also support the success of the faculty in these areas, tallying the publication and presentation records, grant awards, and service contributions of the faculty. In addition, numerous faculty members have received awards for their teaching, research, or service or are invited keynote speakers and successful authors, at the local, state, national, and international level (See annual reports). Criteria and Process for Evaluating Faculty Tenure-track faculty members are evaluated as part of the process for reappointment, continuing appointment (tenure) and promotion. Typically new faculty members receive an initial two-year appointment followed by two renewals of two years each and a third renewal of one year. (Tenure-track faculty may serve no more than seven years without continuing appointment.) Faculty members on this schedule are reviewed four times in their first six years: in the fall of their second year, and in the spring of years three, five,

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and six. In cases where significant concerns have been raised about a faculty member’s performance, one-year reappointments have been granted so that reviews occur with greater frequency. Promotion in rank requires a separate evaluation. For each of these personnel actions, the candidate assembles a comprehensive portfolio that presents evidence of effectiveness in teaching, scholarship and service. This application is reviewed independently by the department personnel committee, the department chair, the school personnel committee, the dean, and the Provost. Reviewers must determine that the candidate’s performance meets or exceeds expectations in all three areas. The College Handbook includes the following statement as a guiding principle: “It is essential that the faculty provide specific reasons why a colleague should be reappointed, given continuing appointment, or promoted rather than merely asking if reasons exist why s/he should not be reappointed, given continuing appointment, or promoted.” Tenure-track faculty and full-time lecturers receive formal, written suggestions for improving teaching, scholarship, and service from each level of review, including the department personnel committee, department chair, school personnel committee, dean, Provost and the President at the time of application for reappointment. Review letters must include a discussion of strengths and weaknesses and the reasons for the recommendation. The department chair plays a key role in mentoring the faculty member, and provides guidance on how to address any concerns raised during the review. It is expected that the candidate will make demonstrable progress by the next review. Department chairs also review the results of adjunct faculty members’ teaching evaluations, and then provide them with appropriate feedback and suggestions for improvement. Faculty members may be supported in their goals of improving teaching, learning, and scholarship by: peer observation and evaluation of teaching; discussions with the department chair and colleagues; stipends for attending professional conferences and workshops; quality circle reviews of grant proposals; and professional development seminars and workshops. New faculty members are assigned a tenured mentor from another department, who is available for consultation and support toward tenure and promotion. Topics related to improving teaching, scholarship and service are discussed in department meetings, as appropriate. Adjunct faculty members are appointed for either one or two semesters. Their teaching effectiveness is reviewed annually at the department level, using a combination of course teacher evaluations (CTEs) results, course syllabi and other teaching materials and classroom observations as the basis for the review. SUNY Cortland does not employ graduate teaching assistants. Chapters 220 and 230 of the College Handbook describe policies for reappointment, promotion, and Discretionary Salary Increase (DSI/merit pay) (See also departmental personnel policies). Faculty evaluation is central to the review process for

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reappointment, continuing appointment, and promotion and the results of these reviews indicate that a majority of faculty members who apply for reappointment or promotion are successful. Discretionary salary increases (DSI) are recommended and awarded at three different levels, depending upon the accomplishments of the individual faculty member. At this time SUNY Cortland does not produce quantitative summaries of faculty performance on various evaluations. The CTEs are primarily intended to be formative assessments, and instructors within departments or schools are not compared with one another on the basis of their CTE results. Nevertheless, as evidenced through other assessment tools, high quality teaching is, indeed, one of SUNY Cortland’s strengths. Student Opinion Survey results, for example, support this view. That evidence suggests that strong teaching is the norm and that our faculty members are reflective practitioners who are knowledgeable about current developments in teaching and learning. In addition, the significant number of grants, publications and presentations reported annually by faculty serves as evidence of research productivity (See Annual Reports). Similarly, there is a high level of participation in service activities at the College and in professional associations and other professional activities. Numerous faculty members have been formally recognized through SUNY Chancellor’s Awards, Rozanne Brooks Award for Excellence in Teaching, and other prestigious awards for their excellence in teaching, research or service (See Faculty and Staff Excellence, College Catalog Faculty Section, and departmental Annual Reports). Recommendation 6.2 a. Increase the number of full-time tenure track faculty. b. Expand mentoring opportunities to support the success of new faculty. c. Explore ways to further support the increasing importance of faculty research across all disciplines on campus.

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Chapter 7

Academic Excellence – Educational Offerings

Standard 11—Educational Offerings Standard 12—General Education Standard 13—Related Educational Activities Standard 14--Assessment

The faculty and staff at SUNY Cortland are committed to academic excellence. As previously stated, “academic excellence” is defined as “asking about, and assessing, how well our students are learning and how effective our faculty is as teachers and scholars. It involves questioning how effective our curricula and related educational offerings are in helping us reach our goal of academic excellence. It embeds assessment of student learning outcomes and how well they demonstrate the achievement of academic excellence.” The College has received a number of recognitions because of the high quality of education SUNY Cortland students receive. These awards include five consecutive listings (with a 56th place in 2011) on Kiplinger’s 100 Best Values in Public Colleges and five consecutive appearances on the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, including last year being designated with Distinction. Fourteen academic programs have received national recognition or approval by national associations. In Spring 2011, SUNY Cortland was recommended for reaccreditation by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). On October 31, 2011, SUNY Cortland received official notification that its teacher education unit has been approved unconditionally for NCATE reaccreditation. Research Question #7.1: How does the College maintain academic quality in courses taught through distance learning? At off-site locations? In order to fully assess the quality of distance learning and off-site instruction offered at SUNY Cortland, it is beneficial to examine how SUNY Cortland maintains academic quality for face-to-face delivery of courses. SUNY Policy states that every academic department must complete a review of its programs every five years. This review includes components related to the effectiveness of teaching within those programs. A review of department reports completed in the last five years identified course teacher evaluations (CTEs) as the most common method of monitoring quality teaching. There are eight required core CTE statements, and many departments supplement the required questions with additional statements. According to the College Handbook (section 260.02), faculty should be evaluated on a regular basis, and at least once every third time they teach a particular course. While most use the CTE form, provisions are in place for alternative methods of evaluation. Untenured faculty and junior faculty are assessed

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more regularly than tenured faculty because evidence of teaching effectiveness is one of the criteria for reappointment, tenure, and promotion. Other types of evidence are also available. In their SUNY Program reviews some departments such as Political Science identified a number of faculty awards recipients as evidence of academic excellence; the Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence in Teaching, Brooks Teaching Award and faculty promotion to the rank of SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor are examples of these awards. Departments with programs that meet external accreditation standards tend to have more formal provisions in place to examine teaching effectiveness, according to a department chairs’ survey administered in 2010. Many departments also require peer observations. In addition, twenty-nine percent (89/302) of faculty included CTE data in their 2009-2010 annual reports. CTE results must be included in faculty self-nomination materials for the annual merit raise program, Discretionary Salary Increase (DSI). (See Chapter 6). In 2010, department chairs were asked to respond to three questions in the departmental annual report:

1. Does your department receive comparative CTE statistics (e.g. departmental means/medians on questions)? If so, how is this information used? 2. Please describe other strategies used by faculty in your department to evaluate their teaching effectiveness (e.g. peer observation). How many faculty use these strategies, and how frequently? 3. Please describe any assistance provided in your department to faculty who wish to improve aspects of their teaching (e.g. peer mentoring, department discussions on teaching issues). How frequently do these activities occur?

Additionally, the annual report process asked department chairs to align activities with the College’s strategic priorities. Because 2010 was the first time it was required in the annual reports, the resulting information gathered in the first year was varied in focus and depth of response. Other measures or mechanisms that departments/programs use to monitor and/or assess quality teaching, as determined by the chair online survey include:

• Some departments require more frequent administration of CTEs (Required each semester by some departments, with subsequent review by the chair)

• Instructors share evidence of effectiveness with course materials and samples of student work on a triennial basis in order to assess how courses address campus and departmental goals

• Chairs conduct peer evaluations on newer full-time and part-time faculty • Some chairs evaluate GPA averages for all courses to identify any teaching

problems. These results sometimes include comparison data for each instructor and for the department faculty discussion of course requirements and expectations.

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• Pre and post class surveys are administered in sophomore and senior years by some departments to examine effectiveness of a methods course on the senior seminar.

• Surveys and/or interviews with graduating seniors, alumni and/or other students are conducted to assess teaching quality. (See full survey results)

According to the 2009 SUNY Student Opinion Survey, SUNY Cortland ranks about average with SUNY comprehensive colleges (6/13) and in the upper third (8/24) in comparison to other state schools for students’ “overall impression of the quality of education.” What is exceptional is that students ranked SUNY Cortland number 1 in both sectors for having faculty who use “innovative technology to facilitate learning.” From the department chair survey, some departments said that they meet and discuss course requirements and student performance as a way to engage in a more global discussion of the rigor of their courses and/or program. An annual review of course syllabi by the department chairs is another common way rigor is assessed, at least across multiple sections of a course taught by multiple faculty. Others have indicated that there are no formal means of assessing the academic rigor of courses taught in their department. It is noteworthy that there are several questions on the CTE that could be used by faculty and departments to examine rigor (e.g. “This course has effectively challenged me to think”). While most of these are not required statements (See the College Handbook (section 260.02), some departments require or recommend that these statements be added. Over the past five years, the number of online course offerings has increased (see Figure 7.1), especially in the winter and summer terms, with a drop in summer online courses in 2011. Figure 7.1

Figure 7-1. Number of online (ASYNCH) course sections offered each

semester for the last 5 years.

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Num

ber o

f ASY

NCH

sect

ions

Fall

Winter

Spring

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In the 2002 Institutional Self-Study Report for Middle States, a recommendation by the campus was made to “Develop a College-wide plan for distance learning and periodically assess faculty and student needs with respect to distance learning for the purpose of planning for future programs” (Chapter 12, p. 169). Largely due to a turnover in personnel, no such plan has been fully developed to date. Another recommendation was to “Ensure that faculty members are given a larger role in planning for technology, perhaps through CATE, SCAP (Student Computer Access Program), and the Information Resources Advisory Committee”. Recently there have been increased opportunities for faculty involvement in eLearning, with the establishment of the eLearning Assessment Committee and the eLearning Advisory Committee, as well as the development of the Computer Applications minor. A few programs with significant online components have been created. These programs include hybrid programs consisting of both on-campus courses and online courses, such as the M.S.Ed. in Physical Education, or entirely online programs, such as the M.S. in Sport Management online track, but it is unclear whether decisions as to why or when departments offer online courses are administrative, faculty-need driven or for other reasons. A few departments indicate that they offer certain courses online during winter or summer because they cannot offer a sufficient number of sections during the fall and/or spring terms. At present, there does not appear to be a consistent campus-wide vision for distance learning. Courses offered during summer and winter, as noted by many departments, allow students who had withdrawn from or failed required courses the opportunity to keep on track academically. Other students take these courses to accelerate in their academic programs. Beginning in Summer 2010, with a new policy, course delivery was guaranteed regardless of class size, so that students would not be disadvantaged by cancellation of low enrolled courses (see sample faculty contract). During these terms, providing online courses makes offerings more convenient and accessible for students living off campus. In addition, some faculty use summer and wintersession terms to teach new or elective curricula. A few programs such as Geology use the summer term for more intensive, focused work at an outdoor education setting. The Mathematics Department was one of several departments that stated that not all of their courses are appropriate for online delivery in winter or summer. The Department’s review found that students who took MAT 272 (Linear Algebra) online in summer did not fare as well in subsequent courses as students who took it in the traditional face-to-face format during the academic year. The official course evaluations, CTEs, historically were previously unavailable for faculty to assess online or traditionally taught classes in the summer or winter terms. This was rectified recently when CTE administration was made available for online courses. The CTE process for online courses was piloted in Spring and Summer 2009 and made available to all faculty in Fall 2009. As noted in the Information Resources Annual Report (2008-2009), student response rates for online evaluations are typically low, and faculty need to repeatedly remind students to complete the evaluation. Even with the current availability of online CTEs during winter and summer, however, not all faculty use them

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and only about half of the departments require them during these terms. This situation could be ameliorated through the development of a cohesive plan for online course delivery. It does appear that there is much potential in the development of online courses, and that the online course offering approach could be a practical advantage for students, a curricular advantage for some programs and an economic advantage for the College. As a result, a campus-wide committee, the Summer/Winter Session Advisory Group, has been established. It meets regularly to discuss a variety of issues associated with these special terms and modes of course delivery. Several programs at SUNY Cortland offer a number of courses at off-site locations. Most of these are graduate courses from programs including the M.S.Ed. in Teaching Students with Disabilities, M.S.Ed. in Literacy, and the five CAS (Certificate of Advanced Study) programs. Courses are taught at SUNY IT in Utica/Rome, at Onondaga Community College, at various teaching centers in the region and at the Main Street SUNY Cortland location (Beard Building) in downtown Cortland. Teaching at these locations allows graduate students from these different geographical areas to enroll in courses closer to home and helps to increase graduate enrollment while at the same time accommodating place-bound students. Some departments monitor the quality of off-site course offerings via telephone/email and on an as-needed basis. One chair indicated that their department’s part-time faculty members at remote sites are observed on a yearly basis. Outdoor education locations, owned by the College, include Camp Huntington in the Adirondacks and Brauer Field Station, in the Helderberg Escarpment, near Albany, NY. The former is regularly used by the Physical Education, Recreation, Parks and Leisure Studies, Childhood/Early Childhood Education, and Biology Departments, and the latter by the Geology Department mostly during the winter and summer terms. For courses offered at these sites, CTEs and/or other course evaluations are monitored by the department chairs. Recommendation 7.1 In order to further enhance and/or assess the academic excellence of the educational offerings at SUNY Cortland, the College should consider the following: a. Utilize information management software for submission of annual reports to gather information more effectively and efficiently. b. Advise the Faculty Senate to consider including statements relating to academic rigor in required faculty course teacher evaluations. c. Develop a campus vision and strategic plan for distance learning, and summer and winter term course offerings. d. Rewrite the Course Teacher Evaluation (CTE) policy in the College Handbook (Section 260.02) so that it clearly indicates that summer and winter term courses need to be evaluated similarly to those taught during the academic year. Research Question #7.2: How effectively does the General Education program achieve its student learning outcomes? How are learning outcomes assessed?

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In 2004–2006, a Provost-appointed GE Task Force worked to reorganize general education and reexamine the student learning outcomes. The resulting Cortland GE Program as approved by the Faculty Senate in Spring 2006 includes three additional categories beyond what SUNY requires for General Education. The Cortland General Education (GE) formal assessment plan was established to meet the SUNY General Education Assessment Review (GEAR) requirements. The most recent version of the GE Assessment Plan (2008/09-2010/11) that was completed in July 2008 outlines assessment plans for the first 10 GE categories which correspond to the SUNY GE categories and competencies through 2011. The broader Cortland GE program assessment did not originally include the three additional categories but beginning in 2009-2010, these three categories were embedded into the GE Assessment Action Calendar. As outlined in this calendar, assessment of GE at Cortland involves three phases: 1) Syllabi Review, 2) Assessment and 3) Results, Review, Recommendations (RRR). Previous General Education Assessment Procedures (through 2010)

1) Every three years, syllabi for all courses within a category are reviewed by the GE committee (GE Syllabi Review Checklist). This has been scheduled to occur the year prior to the scheduled assessment for each category. 2) With the SUNY System decision to streamline assessment (See SUNY Chancellor’s memo dated March 23, 2010), campuses now have more freedom to select their own assessment instruments. Instructors in many of the GE courses are now choosing to use course-embedded assessments. These are reviewed carefully by the GE Committee (and in some cases by area subcommittees) to ensure that they adequately assess each of the student learning outcomes related to a given GE and can be assessed with the established rubric (See GE Assessment Plan for more assessment process details). The GE categories are staggered so that approximately one-third of the categories are assessed each year. 3) The Results, Review, Recommendations (RRR) process occurs the year following completion of a specific GE category assessment. This is the “closing-the-loop” part which entails reviewing the results and making recommendations for improvement.

The results from the RRR process are reviewed by the GE committee and then sent to department chairs teaching courses in that category with a request for comments. The intent of the GE Committee each year is to meet with faculty teaching relevant courses to review results, discuss feedback and make recommendations. However, it appears that there is not always sufficient follow-through. According to a 2011 department chairs survey, 88% of chairs indicated that they have either failed to be apprised of GE assessment results in a timely fashion and/or they did not find the assessment results useful. To help resolve these issues, a meeting was held in Fall 2010 with the faculty whose courses were assessed the previous semester. A clearer and more concise

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response form was created to help facilitate the conversation and review process. Additionally, in Summer 2011, the Office of Institutional Assessment and Research hired a third staff member to help off-set the heavy assessment workload.

Annual GE assessment reports have been made to SUNY in the past. With the exception of category 10-Writing, few curricular changes have been made. The 2010 report created for category 10 basic writing is a model for ways that other designated category groups can assess their own learning outcomes and report back to the larger campus community.

Several strategies have been discussed by the GE committee and other administrators to make this process more effective, and among the suggestions was the establishment of subcommittees for courses taught in specific GE categories. The College Writing Committee and the Quantitative Skills Committee are examples of subcommittees that have functioned effectively together to bring consistency to the assessment process. The Quantitative Skills Committee has met regularly for the last three years to share assessment issues, and discuss and refine the assessment instrument. In Spring 2010, the instrument was piloted in classes in several different departments. As a result, more faculty know the student learning outcomes for the GE category and understand how the assessment instrument will be used. A new GE timeline and assessment plan is now being implemented. On November 1, 2011 the SUNY Cortland Faculty Senate endorsed the new General Education Assessment Plan (2011-12 to 2014-15). Changes in this plan as compared to the previous plan include: 1) increasing from a 3- to 4-year assessment cycle to make the work by the GE committee more manageable and thus more beneficial; 2) the implementation of course-imbedded assessment using a common rubric with the exception of GE 1 which will use a rubric the Quantitative Skills committee modified from the SUNY-approved rubric; 3) the inclusion of assessment results review by the GE committee; and 4) the use of the Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA) instrument to assess critical thinking. All thirteen General Education categories are included in the three-phased assessment plan, rotating through a proposed 4-year cycle: New General Education Assessment Process

1) The syllabus review will occur at the end of the fall semester for the courses randomly selected to participate in the spring semester assessment. Outreach will be provided to faculty teaching GE courses regarding assessment expectations. 2) Assessment of two to three categories will occur in the spring semester. Faculty will be encouraged to submit materials for course embedded assessments. The GE Committee, along with appropriate area sub-committees, will review the materials to ensure alignment with the established learning outcomes.

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3) Results from the assessments will be made available the following semester to the faculty teaching the assessed courses. A summary of recommendations will be developed based on the results.

(See this link for a review of recent GE Assessment results along with other supporting assessments used in SUNY Cortland’s General Education program.) In reviewing how well general education courses are used within majors, the department chair survey revealed that some components of General Education were utilized more than others. Critical thinking was identified as a key element upon which most upper- level courses and major programs build on basic quantitative and writing skills. Overall, the GE courses were considered essential for Inclusive Special Education candidates and for Adolescence Education Social Studies students, as the GE courses reflect the 10 thematic standards for Social Studies. Some chairs commented on how GE 6 (Contrasting Cultures) reinforces understanding of course material included in their department’s major/minor (Spanish, French, Native American Studies minor); and general education courses build on understanding the scientific method (from the natural science GE 2 and 13 categories). Chairs from all teacher education programs, as well as Recreation, Parks, and Leisure Studies, Spanish, and French said that the Prejudice and Discrimination category (GE 11) was essential for one of their standards on diversity (For additional information, see 2009-2010 GE Committee Annual Report). Recommendation 7.2 To improve the GE assessment process: a. Establish and/or revise benchmarks for each GE category. b. Increase access and involvement in review of assessment results to provide recommendations for improvement/change within categories. c. Establish subcommittees in all category areas to discuss assessment issues throughout the assessment process, as appropriate. d. Disseminate the GE results in a more timely and specific way so that faculty can critically examine the effectiveness of their GE offerings, and e. Explore the possibility of renaming the SUNY Cortland GE11 category currently titled “Prejudice and Discrimination.” Research Question #7.3: How effectively are learning resources used by students and faculty (e.g., e-Learning, library databases, Academic Support and Achievement Program (ASAP), computer labs, etc.)? ASAP supports student learning in three ways: professional academic tutoring in writing, reading, math, study skills, and time management, based on students’ learning preferences and study behaviors; peer-led study groups called Supplemental Instruction for historically difficult courses; and course-specific, content tutoring by certified peer tutors.

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During the 2010/2011 academic year, ASAP professional tutors and graduate assistants worked with 379 students (34.8% of whom were freshmen) for a total of almost 1700 contact hours. Tutors use the Study Behavior Inventory (SBI) and the VARK questionnaire to identify students’ individual strengths and weaknesses and design appropriate courses of action to improve the students’ academic performance. Over 81% of those who came to ASAP in the fall with low indicators of academic confidence and inadequate short- and long-term study behaviors (see Figure 7.2) ended their semester with at least a 2.0 GPA. Notably, those students who attended ASAP in the spring had considerably lower scores than those who came in the fall, yet over 71% still achieved at least a 2.0 GPA. In addition, 72% of the students who were on academic probation in the spring earned a semester GPA of at least 2.0. For the 2010/2011 academic year, Supplemental Instruction logged over 5000 hours with students enrolled in 29 different class sections, exceeding the national average for attendance, with 42% of eligible students attending at least one session. The mean final grade of SI participants for the academic year was higher than that of non-participants (see Figure 7.3). Most notably, of the students who withdrew from SI-supported courses during this time, just 27% of them were SI participants and only 3% were students who attended SI five or more times. Peer Tutors facilitated nearly 2300 contact hours, predominantly with freshmen and sophomores (see Figure 7.4). Of students who participated in an end-of-semester survey, most indicated that the study skills they learned in tutoring would help them with their future academic performance (90% fall, 81% spring). Moreover, while a high percentage of students indicated that tutoring helped improve their grades in the courses for which they were tutored (85% fall, 89% spring), about a third of respondents reported that they would have dropped the class without tutoring. New resources for students that will be evaluated in the next year include NightOWL online peer tutoring for writing and math, and professional online tutoring support for online classes.

Figure 7.3: Supplemental Instruction/non-Supplemental Instruction grade comparison

Figure 7:2: Students with low SBI Scores on a cluster of 3 study behaviors

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Figure 7.4: Number of hours Peer Tutors met with students grouped by year in school.

Career Services collaborates with Advisement and Transition to assist pre-major students with career exploration and academic major selection. The office also works closely with academic departments/support units to ensure access to quality internship and service learning experiences. Career Services assisted professors and intern supervisors to develop effective learning objectives for internships. Internship numbers in 2010 increased from 2009, with 327 interns generating 1,189 credit hours. Career Services continues to work in conjunction with the Institute for Civic Engagement to refer more than 400 students to volunteer and service learning activities. Annually SUNY Cortland students contribute thousands of hours of service. Between July 1, 2008 and June 30, 2009, for example, 6000 SUNY Cortland students contributed 96,000 hours of service to the local community (See Career Services Annual Reports). Transfer students comprise nearly 40% of incoming students each year. The Advisement and Transition Office seeks not only to welcome these students to campus but to provide integrated programming with social and educational information and resources. The programming series, “Transfer Express,” is a sequence of workshops and events throughout the semester that are designed to build upon students’ orientation program. Topics include information regarding campus and community resources, transfer credit policies, campus technology, and opportunities to meet fellow transfer students. The Advisement and Transition office also coordinates a one-credit campus orientation seminar class COR 101: The Cortland Experience. Memorial Library’s primary mission is to develop programs and services to support the academic endeavors of students, faculty and staff. The Library provides an array of walk-in research assistance opportunities, along with email and 24/7 research and reference services through AskUs24/7, a web-based chat reference service. The Library’s collections include a variety of resources in multiple formats. Memorial Library has several programs to assist students in using resources effectively. Library instructional programs include offerings aimed at Academic Writing and COR 101,

0100200300400500

Hours

Year in School

Peer Tutoring Contact Hours 2010-2011

Fall

Spring

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the Freshman Experience, as well as instruction for upper-level courses and curricula. The Library contains the Teaching Materials Center (TMC), a focused space, collections and programs to support all the teacher education programs. Reference Services offers one-on-one support for students needing research assistance including the use of databases and other materials. Information Resources recently created the eLearning Needs Assessment Taskforce consisting of faculty, staff and student representatives to address the eLearning needs of SUNY Cortland. A recent survey by the Taskforce on the use of the current eLearning system on campus (See eLearningReport.pdf) was completed by 368 students and 113 faculty. Of the faculty, 82% currently use eLearning to some extent in their courses, while 18% did not. Students use the eLearning system to view their course syllabus and their course grades. Students have indicated that they prefer course notes online but do not see this as a substitute for class attendance. When it became evident that the current eLearning system was not being used effectively, the Taskforce recommended a more user-friendly interface program for eLearning. In Summer 2011, Information Resources launched “Blackboard Learn” to fulfill that need. Faculty from several departments use specialized computer software and computer labs. One example of software used to enhance assessment of sport performance and other athletic activities is Dartfish USA. In 2005, SUNY Cortland and Dartfish USA entered into a College-wide partnership initially overseen by the Sport Management Department and supported by a lead gift of $400,000 (2005) from Dartfish USA and a subsequent gift of over $990,000 in software, in the Spring of 2008. The initiative includes the establishment of the Dartfish Northeast Regional Training Center at Cortland and the development of Digital Video Analysis courses at the undergraduate and master's degree levels to support programs in sport management, kinesiology, physical education, education, and performing arts. Recommendation 7.3 To enhance the effectiveness of learning resources to better meet student needs: a. Increase resources available for programs that support student achievement. b. Memorial Library should develop assessment programs measuring the effectiveness of its programs, including reference and instruction, on academic excellence. Research Question #7.4: What evidence demonstrates that students are meeting the College’s goals for expected learning outcomes at the program/major level? To what extent is this evidence used in program improvement? Academic departments submit an annual report based on a review of the academic progress made that year. In addition, each academic department is required by SUNY to complete a full review and assessment of programs on a regular schedule, typically every seven years. Some academic departments conduct external reviews for accreditation, such as Council on Accreditation of Parks, Recreation, Tourism and Related Professions

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for the Recreation, Parks and Leisure Studies Department, or for Teacher Certification accrediting bodies, such as the National Association for Sport and Physical Education for the Physical Education Department. As a whole, the College reviews all teacher education programs on a five- or seven-year cycle for reaccreditation with the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) with the most recent review conducted in 2011. With all these data taken into account, there are a series of indicators for success, and recommendations for improvement, as follows: Undergraduate teacher candidates are required to maintain a minimum GPA of 2.5 (3.0 for graduate teacher candidates) to qualify for student teaching, and undergo a rigorous judicial and departmental review by Teacher Education Council Review Committee (TECRC) to demonstrate their eligibility for student teaching. Students who do not meet the criteria for student teaching are retained for further coursework, or leave the teacher certification programs. In Teacher Education programs, (nineteen undergraduate and twenty-three graduate certification programs) SUNY Cortland teacher candidates pass rate on the New York State Teacher Certification Examinations (NYSTCE) is 99%. Many other programs also have overall GPA (or GPA in the major) requirements; some are for admission into the major/minor and others for exit requirements. For example, students in Sport Management, Recreation, and Fitness Development must have achieved a 2.5 GPA prior to enrolling in the internship. Athletic Training applicants and Physical Education pre-majors must have a 2.5 GPA to apply to the major. Some programs, such as Fitness Development and Social Studies, also have minimum grades in specific classes that are needed to progress in the program or prior to enrolling in the culminating experience A number of departments, including Childhood/Early Childhood and Sport Management, use an electronic portfolio system, in these cases, TaskStream, to collect student work samples throughout the four-year programs. This system has proven to be an effective tool for collecting a series of exemplars and other measures of student achievement. An ongoing issue for all majors and teacher education programs in particular is “right-sizing” admissions to reflect the needs of school districts and demographic trends. For example, on a national and state level, the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM); Special Education; Bilingual and English Language Learners (ELL); and Urban Education are considered high need areas. Faculty in specialty areas need to be recruited and hired, with accompanying program and curriculum development. The College is making strides to recruit more full-time faculty, despite difficult economic times. All SUNY Cortland students have a Curriculum Advising and Program Planning (CAPP) form online which tracks progress in all College requirements and is a useful tool for advisement purposes. Students and faculty can access CAPP forms through the myRedDragon portal to ensure progress is being made toward degree completion.

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In addition to the composition course requirements typical of most campuses, two additional Writing Intensive (WI) courses, with at least one within the major, are required, in which the focus is on writing as a learning process. These courses were developed in response to the identification of writing skills as an area needing improvement. The Writing Center led to a Writing Fellows program which employs students designated as skillful writers to work with peers and professors (See the Writing Resource Center for more information). Based on feedback obtained in the chairs’ survey, most departments indicated that the capstone requirement or required 400-level course(s) for the students in their major(s) provides evidence that their students are meeting the anticipated College and program learning outcomes (See departmental annual reports). Data from alumni surveys on the success rate of SUNY Cortland graduates in graduate school and/or in their careers provides additional evidence of program effectiveness. For example, Chemistry majors, who opt to take the American Chemical Society’s general and organic chemistry examinations generally achieve excellent passing scores. In the School of Professional Studies, three departments have realigned their mission with those respective professional associations, including: Kinesiology (formerly Exercise Science and Sport Studies); Recreation, Parks, and Leisure Studies (formerly Recreation and Leisure Studies); and, Communication Disorders and Sciences (formerly Speech Pathology and Audiology). These changes reflect ways that these departments strengthen their programs based on current best practices in the field. The Recreation, Parks and Leisure Studies Department was awarded a New York State grant to assess the accessibility of all state leisure opportunities for people with disabilities, and to catalog the findings on a website for use by the public. The resulting efforts of the Inclusive Recreation and Resource Center can be located at its website. Four years ago, the campus community participated in a two-year internationalization laboratory with the American Council in Education (ACE) in an effort to enhance the internationalization efforts on campus. The findings of this extensive report indicate a need for further development of international programs, scholarships, and opportunities for students on campus to study abroad. Since the report was released in 2009, a new grant-funded initiative to develop a Global Workforce, in conjunction with the Levin Institute in New York City, has been developing and piloting learning modules in key areas for an online delivery through the SUNY system. This partnership, in conjunction with SUNY Brockport, has supported faculty to create international perspectives within existing courses, and to provide students with an open access format in international competencies. Recommendation 7.4 With regard to students meeting College goals in the major and/or program: a. Require Writing Intensive (WI) courses to undergo a systematic review to determine

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their effectiveness and compliance with WI criteria. b. Further internationalize the curriculum to foster global competencies in our students. Research Question #7.5: How effectively does the curriculum reflect the mission of the College? Three main aspects of the revised mission statement are important for understanding the alignment of the curriculum with the mission: dedication to diverse learning experiences; students growing as engaged citizens with a strong social conscience; and fostering outstanding teaching, scholarship, and service. Diverse learning experiences are found within the requirements of the SUNY Cortland General Education Program which provide students with educational exposure in twelve required categories. Among these requirements are the Contrasting Cultures and the Prejudice and Discrimination categories. The purpose of the College’s General Education Program, as noted in the College Catalog, is “… to provide students with an intellectual and cultural basis for their development as informed individuals in our society.” In addition, students participate in a variety of different learning experiences; these different kinds of experiences are addressed in depth in Chapter 8, “Transformational Education”. Growing as Engaged Citizens with a Strong Social Conscience To promote social responsibility and citizenship, students are expected to be involved in a variety of community and civic activities during their time at SUNY Cortland. Nearly 80% of SUNY Cortland graduating seniors will be seeking employment in service-oriented professions. While some of these activities are mentioned in more detail in Chapter 8: “Transformational Education”, it is important to emphasize a number of these here, as an indication of this aspect of the College mission: Table 7-1 Examples of student involvement in community and civic activities • Student enrollment in service-learning courses • The State of Poverty Simulation, sponsored by

the SUNY Cortland Institute for Civic Engagement and the Community Action Program of Cortland County, is conducted during the second or third week of each semester. This two-hour event teaches student participants distinctions between concepts such as “poverty” (as defined by the federal government), “minimum wage,” and a “living wage.”

• President Obama’s Interfaith and Community Service Challenge, through which Institute for Civic Engagement, Campus Ministries, and the Division of Student Affairs partner with community agencies to develop and conduct community service-based capacity-building

• Voter registration • Student participation in SUNY Lobby Day in

Albany • NYPIRG activities • Participation in a vast number of service

opportunities within the Cortland community, such as Habitat for Humanity, (via class, club, Greek, athletic team, residence hall or other volunteerism)

• Faculty participation in the Annual Diversity Summer Institute with the goal to train faculty to better infuse diversity and multiculturalism into curriculum.

• Student enrollment in the five contrasting cultures interdisciplinary minors offered by the

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activities designed to improve children’s education as a way of reducing poverty

Center for Gender and Intercultural Studies • Student participation in the NeoVox student-

produced international online magazine

In addition, many of the majors offered at Cortland are service-oriented and involve work with communities as part of their programs. These include majors such as Teacher Education, Health, Kinesiology, Recreation, Communication Disorders and Sciences, Sociology, and Political Science. The department chairs indicated in the chair’s survey that they evaluate grade averages for courses and faculty in their department, while others stated that their respective faculty have engaged in discussion of course requirements and expectations during faculty meetings. Other departments assessed and reported on rigor in their programs as part of their SUNY Program Review (i.e. Sociology/Anthropology, English, Geology) They commented on course sequences with increasingly demanding rigor and the need for rigorous preparation for culminating experiences. Coupled with the results of the 2009 Graduate Survey in which 46% of student respondents reported having studied 0-10 hours per week, 33% reported 11-20 hours and 22% reported studying 31 or more hours per week, there is some evidence to suggest that academic rigor in certain college classes and some programs could be improved. Results of the 2010 Graduate Survey have just been made available and will be analyzed subsequently. Faculty accomplishments are published each year in the departmental and deans’ annual reports. New faculty are continuously informed of expectations for quality teaching along with scholarship and service. These are detailed in each department’s personnel policies and procedures documents, as well as in the College Handbook. Recommendation 7.5 a. Devise a more effective way of assessing development of engaged students with a strong social conscience. b. Require new program proposals to indicate how their program(s) reflect the mission of the College.

Research Question #7.6: How does the institution support underprepared students, adult learners, accelerated students and/or international students? The College has a deep commitment to all admitted students. To serve underprepared students or students with particular diagnosed disabilities, EOP, ASAP, and the Student Disability Services Office see a large number of students. The number of students seen by Student Disability Services continues to grow, increasing 12.8 % from 299 to 343, in the last 4 years. Athletics receives the majority of the students admitted through special talent admission criteria. The SUNY Cortland Student Athlete Academic Support Program engages the services of a special academic tutor to supplement students’

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academic support and advisement. Athletes designated as special talent are required to meet with the tutor during their first year and until they achieve a GPA greater than 2.50. A specific staff person in the Advisement and Transition Office is assigned to helping adult learners, including special workshops to assist adult students. A non-traditional student lounge is furnished to accommodate varied schedules and unique needs. The International Programs Office addresses the specific concerns of international students and offers courses for students with low TOEFL scores or insufficient study skills. Special classes are offered to support international students (ICC 143, ICC 145, ICC 147, and ICC 149), covering topics such as understanding the academic language, critical thinking skills, grammar, and listening and speaking skills. ICC 143 is required for all matriculated undergraduate international students, while optional enrollment in the other courses is recommended based on language assessments conducted in collaboration with the Modern Languages Department. Based on a SUNY-wide initiative, all SUNY campuses are committed to strengthening the P-16 educational pipeline. New York State must keep students in school to graduate with degrees so that they are prepared for jobs in the work force within the state. While the Access to College Education (ACE) program is one way the College provides support for underprepared school children to attend college, the institution should consider offering continuous support services and opportunities for all types of underprepared students throughout at all stages of their education. Recommendation 7.6 Continue to support services and opportunities for underprepared students.

To summarize, SUNY Cortland has a well-organized and systematic General Education assessment system that is strengthened by oversight of both the College and SUNY System Administration. All departments conduct regular program review, and accredited programs are assessed by the respective accrediting bodies. The campus offers numerous resources for students and faculty campus-wide to support academic achievement. Distance Learning offerings are evolving, and the College would benefit from the development of a campus-wide vision and operating policies for distance education. In addition, the College should seek ways to use course teacher evaluations (CTE’s) more effectively.

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Chapter 8

Transformational Education –Standards 9, 11, 13, 14

Standard 9—Student Support Services Standard 11--Educational Offerings Standard 13—Related Educational Activities Standard 14—Assessment of Student Learning

Research clearly demonstrates that students who participate in structured experiential learning activities are likely to have transformative experiences. Although this campus priority is recent and the definition is still evolving, for the purpose of this Self-Study “transformational education” is defined as "a way of learning through which students develop skills, competencies, ethics, and knowledge that contribute to their development as a well-rounded, capable, and civically-engaged members of society." Areas of focus include physical and emotional well-being, as well as professional, interpersonal and intellectual skills. In the course of the subcommittee’s review, it became clear that several of the areas addressed in transformational education overlap with other chapters within the Self-Study and with other strategic initiatives, particularly Well-being and Academic Excellence. Research Question #8.1: At SUNY Cortland, we aspire to ensure that every student will have access to engaging and transformational educational experiences. What evidence is there that we are meeting that goal? SUNY Cortland offers a wide variety of transformative educational experiences linked to curricular offerings as well as co-curricular activities. Additionally, students often pursue experiential activities independently. With over sixty recognized student clubs and organizations, a vibrant service learning program, an extensive intramural and club sport team program, intercollegiate athletics, a well-developed internship network, strong campus leadership programs, active learning communities, a rich study abroad program and multiple other opportunities for engagement, students have many options to participate in transformational experiences (see Experiential Inventory). While student ability to participate in outside activities is often limited because of curricular requirements such as prerequisite coursework for field experience or student teaching, the campus has developed strong policies and procedures to maximize a student’s ability to efficiently access these programs. For example, participation in credit- bearing internships was originally restricted to students with at least junior standing. After analyzing feedback from students and recognizing the importance of formal internship programs for student success from college to job, the campus changed its policy to allow any student in good academic standing to participate in internships.

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The College provides information to students about experiential opportunities through a variety of media, including print, face-to-face, and electronic communication. The campus utilizes the traditional means of communication such as newsletters, including the Institute for Civic Engagement Newsletter, and information fairs. Equally as important are the electronic and web-based communication tools such as the campus portal, the Communicate tool, blogs and various other social media. Email and listservs are also used to reach students. Special initiatives such as the “Student Affairs Connections Committee” are designed to promote and support collaborative outreach to students, faculty and staff. A detailed description of promotional activities and campus communication efforts is found in Chapter 9, “Well-being”. While these communication strategies allow critical information to reach most students, anecdotal feedback indicates that a small number of students are reluctant to use campus e-mail and therefore remain unaware of experiential curricular and co-curricular opportunities. The campus must continue to deliver information through multiple channels to effectively communicate and to more effectively manage campus events, for example, to minimize simultaneous programming of multiple events. In addition to communicating to students and delivering opportunities to them, the need for ongoing assessment is recognized by the College. A number of institutional assessment efforts indicate that the College is providing broad access to transformational experiences. Sample indicators of access and engagement include: Table 8-1 Sample indicators of access and engagement • SUNY Cortland’s Inclusion on the President’s

Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction (2010) Honorees are chosen based on a series of selection factors including scope and innovation of service projects, percentage of student participation in service activities, incentives for service, and the extent to which the school offers academic service-learning courses.

• 83% of all students have participated in at least one form of structured experiential education (e.g. internships, practicum, field work) prior to graduation (2009 Graduate Survey, p. 19)

• In 2010-11, there were 128,324 visits to campus fitness facilities, 913 participants in 34 sports club teams, 39,640 intramural sports participants and 198,829 users of open recreation programming (Recreational Sports Annual Report, 2010)

• With roughly 60 student clubs sponsored by the Student Government Association and almost 500 students involved with Greek organizations each year, involvement in student organizations remains strong (Campus Activities Annual Report, 2010)

• Undergraduate and graduate students collaborate with faculty and staff annually to present original research, poster sessions and panels at “Scholars’ Day”

• COR 101, a mandatory course for first-year students (approximately 1200 students per year) requires that students participate in a minimum of four campus activities during the semester (e.g. lectures, concerts, athletics, cultural events)

• Each year, roughly one third of all first-year students are actively engaged in learning community programs (Learning Community Enrollment)

• The Student Opinion Survey results consistently indicate ample access and broad participation in out-of-classroom experiences

• Summary NSSE data indicates that students are involved with “Enriching Educational Experiences,” "Active and Collaborative Learning” and “Student/Faculty Interaction”

• Various campus offices including Recreational Sports, Residence Life and Housing and Advisement and Transition employ many students. In addition to providing jobs, these

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positions afford campus-wide opportunities for student leadership and personal growth.

Recommendation 8.1 Provide a campus-wide calendaring system through College portal for students, staff and faculty to promote communication and enhance access to opportunities. Research Question #8.2: How are co-curricular activities (guest lectures, civic involvement, independent research, campus events, community service, etc.) linked to student learning outcomes? Transformational education as a strategic initiative is still new to the campus community, and the Middle States Self-Study subcommittee discovered that there is empirical and anecdotal evidence of the campus’ effort to link learning outcomes with experiential educational opportunities. However, the evidence is not routinely and systematically collected in a centralized place, but rather by the individual offices offering the programs. The following is a broad sampling of how co-curricular activities are linked to learning outcomes and planning:

• Residence Life and Housing uses a developmental model which embeds defined learning objectives and uses a formal rubric for assessment of all training and programming; learning outcomes are consistently measured to gauge effectiveness of training and participation

• National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) examines a variety of learning outcomes linked to involvement

• Campus Artist And Lecture Series (CALS) Short surveys are distributed at performances as well as at the conclusion of the NYC/Broadway trips. Information collected helps to determine the impact of the event on participant as well as offering ideas for planning future events.

• The International Programs Office tracks learning outcomes through participant evaluations.

• Teacher preparation programs link institutional learning outcomes with New York State and national standards for both curricular and co-curricular activities as well as dispositions (see NCATE report). These linkages impact more than half of the SUNY Cortland student population.

Recommendation 8.2 a. Explore and evaluate the merits of developing and implementing a co-curricular transcript and/or portfolio system to link activities and learning outcomes. b. Develop a more organized approach to assessing transformational education.

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Research Question #8.3: How are structured experiential learning activities developed, designed and coordinated with learning objectives? Structured experiential learning activities at SUNY Cortland are activities directly linked to specific academic course content and rely on practices such as field observation, hands-on or direct application of the course content combined with a form of personal reflection. Examples include undergraduate research, community-based research, international experiences, internships, student teaching and service learning. Successful structured experiential learning activities are developed, and designed through a collaborative effort with the faculty to ensure a strong link to a course or program’s learning objectives. Service learning offers a strong example of such collaboration at SUNY Cortland. In addition to on-campus collaboration, the SUNY Cortland Institute for Civic Engagement’s Office of Service-Learning participates in national and New York State Campus Compact conferences . There are published training manuals and Best Practices in Service Learning (sample syllabi). There are mentoring opportunities, assistance with developing community agency connections and regularly scheduled service learning student-focused events. Students participating in structured internships are required to work with faculty members to identify specific learning objectives for the experience. These learning objectives are stated on internship Learning Agreements and other departmental tracking forms. Final assessments and grades are based upon completion of academic work linked to these learning objectives as well as Employer Intern Appraisals. Teacher candidates are required to document their progress on specific learning outcomes in a variety of ways, including documenting achievement of specific learning outcomes in pre-service activity, observation and student teaching. Character dispositions, teaching dispositions and professional dispositions are tracked and evaluated. Sample evaluative documents are compiled regularly, and research on specific teaching topics such as diversity is also conducted regularly. Our collection and use of data to guide student learning are both well documented in NCATE accreditation reports. Recommendation 8.3 a. Conduct a campus-wide analysis of structured learning experiences to investigate the connection, if any, between transformational education and student well-being. b. Provide training and support for College personnel interested in developing and tracking co-curricular learning outcomes.

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Research Question #8.4: How is global competence impacted by participation in international programs, campus programming and curricular initiatives? What evidence demonstrates that SUNY Cortland is maintaining educational effectiveness and academic rigor when students are engaged in international programs and other programs aimed at global competence? SUNY Cortland has a longstanding tradition and commitment to global competence as demonstrated by its unique General Education Program, broad range of study abroad options, student organizations, international partnerships and faculty research. The recent restructuring of our mission statement and development of campus priorities reaffirms SUNY Cortland's commitment to develop global competence through internationalization initiatives. The College began the process of more clearly defining global competence and of prioritizing associated learning outcomes in 2007-2008, when the campus participated in the American Council on Education’s Internationalization Laboratory (ACE Lab). The ACE Lab included an online survey assessing 28 learning outcomes divided into three categories: knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Faculty and student responses fell into two main clusters: 1) demonstrates knowledge of world cultures, structures, and issues, and 2) demonstrates cross-cultural understanding and foreign language skills. ACE Lab recommendations are being implemented and the College is integrating measurable learning outcomes into international programs and curricular initiatives. For example, the Global Workforce Project links learning outcomes to global awareness. SUNY Cortland provides many opportunities for students to engage in international programs, campus activities, and curricular initiatives designed to help students develop global competence: Table 8-2 International opportunities for students to develop global competence • Education abroad (short-term, semester or full

academic year, faculty-led courses, internships); • Curricular initiatives (Global Workforce, Center

for Gender and Intercultural Studies [CGIS], COR, Major and Minor Studies Programs [African American Studies, Asian/Middle Eastern Studies, French, International Studies, Jewish Studies, Latino and Latin American Studies, Native American Studies, and Spanish])

• Visiting scholars (e.g., Beijing Teacher Training Centre for Higher Education, research collaboration, teaching)

• Visiting speakers, conferences, and workshops • Dual degree programs • International research

• Intercultural programming (e.g. international student orientation, Conversation Partners, performances, international sports events). These activities and campus events are promoted through the traditional means mentioned above under question 8.1, as well as through the first-year COR seminar program, which offers a speakers’ bureau, articles in the course reader, and a student planner distributed to approximately 1,800 students (including transfer students)

• Student cultural/international organizations (e.g. Asian Cultural and Media Experience - ACME, Caribbean Student Association – CSA, French Club, Global Ambassadors Club, International Awareness Club, La Familia Latina, Spanish Club)

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SUNY Cortland collects, compiles and distributes data linked to global competence periodically through efforts such as the ACE Lab and a 2010 international activities survey. This information is used by the campus for a variety of programming including International Education Celebration activities, which is an extended observance of the national International Education Week. The College currently assesses the level of participation in international programs (course-embedded and overall participation), campus programming, and curricular initiatives, and looks at the impact of that participation on students’ understanding of global issues. To better serve international students and campus faculty engaging in international activities, the James M. Clark Center for International Education was divided into two offices in Summer 2011. The James M. Clark Center for International Education addresses faculty needs related to developing exchanges and international initiatives, while the International Programs Office supports international students and visiting scholars and manages faculty and student exchange partnerships and all study abroad programs. The International Programs Office continually tracks participation of SUNY Cortland and non-SUNY Cortland students in study abroad programs administered by the College and other SUNY institutions. This office is also responsible for supporting international students and visiting scholars through programming, advising, and ensuring compliance with federal immigration reporting requirements and carefully monitoring the number of foreign national students and scholars. The International Programs Office submits reports to the Institute for International Education for the Open Doors Report, the national report on participation in international education funded by the U.S. Department of State. While it is instructive to know the numbers of students who participate in these programs, existing assessments do not adequately measure the extent of the students’ transformation. The International Programs Office assesses the experience of its study abroad and international students via surveys administered upon completion of their programs (sample survey). These general surveys have focused primarily on pre-departure services provided by the office staff and by the partner institution during the experience, and on logistical arrangements such as travel and housing. Previously the surveys did not extensively evaluate the educational effectiveness or academic rigor of the students’ experiences, or the depth of their transformation. To rectify this, in 2010 the former Clark Center developed an extensive web-based survey allowing study abroad students to self-report these aspects of their experience (Study Abroad Survey). A similarly in-depth survey for international students and scholars is under development. Although faculty and study abroad advisors review individual students’ transcripts, and faculty with connections to partner institutions are generally familiar with the academic rigor offered by those schools’ curricula, the institution does not systematically evaluate the actual academic performance or intellectual rigor of the study abroad experience. A faculty and staff committee is now initiating an effort to track and evaluate student academic performance, and to monitor the academic effectiveness of the study abroad

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programs. SUNY Cortland and partner institutions must cooperate in mutual efforts to assess our exchange programs and by providing sample syllabi and course evaluations. Cortland's longstanding commitment to diversity and global competence is evident in programming, co-curricular activities and General Education requirements. Student learning outcomes for the GE Categories "Contrasting Cultures" and "Foreign Languages" are clearly articulated to students and are reviewed regularly. The Multicultural Life and Diversity Office, the Center for Intercultural and Gender Studies (CGIS), the International Programs Office, the Clark Center, the Student Government Association, Dining Services and the campus Multicultural Council all offer programs involving cultural awareness and competency. However, learning outcomes are not consistently infused into the planning or evaluation of some these activities. The campus must develop a more formal mechanism to promote, track and assess co-curricular activities linked to cultural competence. Recommendation 8.4 a. Develop and adopt the College’s definition of global competence and prioritize learning outcomes to incorporate that definition into international programming and curricular initiatives; develop and implement an assessment tool to gauge student cultural competency. b. The College should consider creating a mechanism for on-going tracking of international activities on campus and abroad and a mechanism to track participation of SUNY Cortland students in non-SUNY education abroad activities. Research Question #8.5: Is there evidence that opportunities offered to students beyond the traditional classroom contribute to student learning? SUNY Cortland uses multiple measures to analyze effectiveness of student engagement and participation in learning experiences outside of the traditional classroom. Where learning objectives and outcomes are well defined, evidence of effectiveness is well documented. Examples falling into this category include service learning, internships and co-curricular activities: Table 8-3 Examples of student engagement with assessment of its effectiveness • In Benchmark comparisons with SUNY peers,

Carnegie Class, and NSSE 2008 institutions on the Active and Collaborative Learning (ACL) scale, SUNY Cortland

-First-year students scored lowest, with a mean of 37.9, vs. 40.8, 42.3, and 42.5, respectively

-Seniors, in contrast, scored highest: 50.8 vs. 49.6, 51.3, and 50.8

• In Benchmark comparisons with SUNY peers, Carnegie Class, and NSEE 2008 institutions on the Enriching Educational Experience (EEE) scale, SUNY Cortland

• Internship Employer Intern Appraisal Forms consistently rate student interns as "good" or "outstanding" on a variety of productivity measures; evidence of positive student performance in structured internships (CPV 400) with linked learning objectives includes a pass rate of 99.8% over the past 4 years

• Departments that require a capstone internship have assessment data demonstrating achievement of learning outcomes

• In the Student Opinion Survey (SOS, Section III, Part A), students report high levels of satisfaction

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-First-year students scored lowest, with a mean of 25.3, vs. 28.0, 26.4, and 27.5.

-Seniors, in contrast, scored highest: 44.1 vs. 39.5, 37.7, and 40.4

• In comparison to students “attending schools that scored in the top 50% and top 10% of all NSSE 2008 institutions,” SUNY Cortland first-year-students and seniors scored significantly lower than institutions in NSSE’s top 50% in both the ACL and EEE scales; SUNY Cortland

-Seniors narrow the gap in the ACL scale -Seniors fall further behind in the EEE scale

• Cortland’s Urban Recruitment of Educators (C.U.R.E.) (final report to the Park Foundation) and data collected through a comprehensive survey of graduates and interviews, indicates that 98% of participants successfully completed program obligations and many program participants were recognized for academic excellence

• The Office of Service Learning surveys (conducted at the end of each semester, offer additional information on the effectiveness of experiential education at SUNY Cortland, in both academic/cognitive and affective dimensions

with student life programming and college services

• Students who have completed some form of fieldwork (internship, student teaching, volunteer, study abroad or practicum) consistently self report higher levels of competency in interpersonal skills, leadership skills, problem solving skills, team-working skills, technology skills, writing skills, and time management skills than those students not participating in fieldwork. (Graduate Survey Skill Summary)

• With 620 student athletes, Cortland remains a national powerhouse in athletics. The College has claimed the Commissioner's Cup, which is awarded for overall sports excellence, in 14 of the 15 years that it has been awarded, including the last eight seasons. Additionally, SUNY Cortland is consistently ranked among national leaders for the NACDA Division III Director's Cup Standing.

• Exit Surveys of student athletes show that the overwhelming majority rate their athletics experience as "positive."

Evidence indicates that structured activities such as service learning, internships, residence life student training programs, student research activities, peer tutoring and athletics are largely effective and are linked to learning objectives. Conversely, while anecdotal feedback suggests that student participation in student clubs (e.g. Education Club) and other activities (e.g. Habitat for Humanity Alternative Spring Break) are positive experiences, assessment of learning outcomes for unstructured participation appears to be minimal. The campus recognizes the importance of integrating and analyzing student learning outcomes and is working to enhance data collection linked to these activities. For example, the College’s Institute for Civic Engagement (ICE) is currently a demonstration site for Bringing Theory to Practice, an independent project in partnership with the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U). This project will evaluate “high-impact learning,” including service learning, learning communities, undergraduate research, community-based research, senior theses, capstone courses, internships, international experiences, and multicultural experiences. This project will serve as a model to expand analysis into other co-curricular and extracurricular activities outside of the classroom. Additional summary information and data sources linked to both Standard 7 and Standard 14 may be found on Chapter 10: “Maximize Resources” of this document. Recommendation 8.5 Explore the use of the Bringing Theory to Practice Project as a benchmark to assess other forms of experiential education.

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Chapter 9

Well-Being – Standards 3, 8, 9, 13

Standard 3—Institutional Resources Standard 8—Student Admissions and Retention Standard 9—Student Support Services Standard 13—Related Educational Activities This chapter addresses portions of Standards 3, 8, 9, and 13 through the lens of "well-being" as defined in the College's strategic plan and focuses primarily on out-of-class and non-credit bearing experiences. In the Strategic Plan the College states that it will: "Become a national leader in the promotion of the physical, emotional, cultural, and social well-being of all community members." This is accomplished by focusing on three goals:

• Implement a comprehensive plan for increasing participation in the life of the campus

• Appreciate and advocate for diversity, equity, and social justice. • Provide outstanding opportunities and support for healthy living.

Research Question #9.1: What programs, services and facilities support the physical, emotional, cultural, spiritual, intellectual and social needs of all SUNY Cortland campus community members? SUNY Cortland offers numerous programs, services and facilities that support the well-being of all campus community members across all divisions of the College. While some of these programs, services and facilities target specific dimensions of wellness, others address multiple dimensions. Table 9-1 highlights a sample of our cross-dimensional programs, services and facilities. Appendix 9-1-1: Resources for Well-Being provides a more inclusive listing. Table 9-1 Sample programs, services and facilities that support well-being at SUNY Cortland Division of Student Affairs Student Development Center Student Health Service Sees 9,000-10,000 patient visits per academic year

Counseling Center Provides individual and group counseling for over 900 individuals with

3,000 sessions annually. Undergoes reaccreditation process every five years. On-site review conducted in October 2010; the Counseling Center expects to receive full accreditation by the end of the 2011-12 academic year.

Health Promotion Provides a comprehensive series of programs, workshops and trainings highlighted by the “Wellness Wednesday Series,” a weekly programmatic series that draws over 2,000 students, faculty and staff annually; received

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a three-year grant (Colleges for Change) through the Onondaga County Health Department and the New York State Health Department to work toward a tobacco-free campus environment

Substance Abuse Education and Prevention

Provides counseling and education sessions each year for over 100 students with alcohol/other drug concerns; procured a 3-year state social norming grant which helped reduce heavy drinking among students over that time period

Student Disability Services Facilitates the educational and personal development of SUNY Cortland students with disabilities; serves approximately 343 students each year and works to ensure equal access to all programs and activities while facilitating the architectural and attitudinal accessibility of the campus environment

Multicultural Life and Diversity Office

Provides campus-wide leadership, consultation, programs, and services that promote diversity, multiculturalism, inclusion, equity, and social justice; implements initiatives and programs that support the recruitment, retention and graduation of students, faculty, and staff historically underrepresented in higher education

Career Services Provides high quality career counseling assistance to students, alumni, and community members with an emphasis on the development of lifetime skills that lead to successful career and educational choices; offers workshops, classroom presentations, individual career counseling, and related educational programs, as well as an online presence by using various social media

Recreational Sports Provides programs, facilities and services that address physical and social wellness; over 199,000 annual participations (students receive free memberships; faculty/staff have received free memberships 2010-11); Intramural sports has 39,640 participations, and 34 sport clubs have over 913 participants; provides a Non-Credit Instruction Program, a Group Exercise Program, and a Personal Training Program; a leader in formulating the design, layout and construction of a new Student Life Center, with a target date for occupancy of September 2013.

Residence Life and Housing Offers a positive living community that promotes academic success and ongoing wellness programming, realized through highly competent central staff, residence hall directors, resident assistants and academic peer mentors (See Annual Reports)

Corey Union and Campus Activities Office

Hub for student programming including “Cortland Nites,” which provides weekend social programming as an alternative to alcohol/partying for students and the Campus Artist and Lecture Series (CALS) which sponsors exceptional lectures, performances and programs for the entire campus community

University Police Department Guided by a philosophy of community policing, conducts foot, bike and vehicular patrols on the campus and residence hall areas 24 hours a day to provide protection to all students, employees and visitors; utilizes many tools including the RAD (Rape Aggression Defense) training, Sexual Assault Awareness Information, the Silent Witness program, and Crime

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Prevention tips

Student Conduct Office Supports the emotional and ethical development of students through both proactive and reactive means including campus-wide programs on the Code of Student Conduct, speakers on topics such as hazing and alcohol and other drugs, supporting anti-violence programming, involving students as Justices in the conduct process, disciplinary conferences and hearings, mediation, and referrals to other campus services for academic and emotional assistance

ASAP Co-Sponsor (with Health Promotions and Campus Activities) of “Paws for Stress Relief,” program with dogs designed to help students reduce anxiety and increase academic success during final examination week.

Division of Finance and Management Environmental Health and Safety Office (EH&S)

Establishes and maintains a safe and healthful environment for students, faculty, staff, and visitors; provides safety, health, and environmental services for the main campus, Raquette Lake, and Brauer Education Center; manages programs including injury, illness and accident prevention, chemical management, confined space management, contractor safety, waste management, laboratory safety, electrical safety, mechanical safety, fall protection, fire safety, materials handling, office ergonomics, respiratory protection, hearing conservation, and off-the-job safety

Human Resources Office, Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Sponsors wellness programs specifically for College employees, including “NYS-Balance,” the confidential resource and referral service available to all state employees which features a monthly wellness topic on its website and offers a corresponding webinar; supports the well-being of staff and faculty through its coordination of the campus MyRedDragon New Hire Program which is designed to help new employees adjust to working at the College

Division of Academic Affairs Advisement and Transition Office

Offers supportive programs that address intellectual wellness for transitioning first-year students, transfer students, non-traditional students and graduate students and coordinates the new student orientation program, the COR 101 class required for all freshmen and transfer credit evaluation. (See Chapter 8: “Transformational Education” for more information)

Institute for Civic Engagement, Institute for Disability Studies, Center for Gender and Intercultural Studies, Center for Aging, and Center for Advancement of Technology Education

Provide outstanding programs that contribute to the well-being of the College community

Dowd Gallery, Beard Gallery, Musical Theatre Department productions, Rozanne Brooks Museum, Children's Museum, Cultural and Intellectual

Support cultural enrichment through a host of cultural programs and activities including exhibits, lectures, films, productions, and presentations

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Climate Committee Athletics Many of the 25 varsity teams compete for championship titles each year

in the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC), National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC), and Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC ). Both Recreational Sports and Athletic utilize the College’s many sports facilities

Division of Institutional Advancement Cortland College Foundation, Cortland Fund, Leadership Gifts, Planned Gifts

Support a variety of wellness initiatives such as student and faculty scholarship, research, programming, and educational campaigns on philanthropy for students, faculty, staff and alumni.

The Alumni Affairs Office Fosters ongoing and supportive relationships with current students and alumni through outreach programming to affinity groups, multicultural alumni and a host of friends and families associated with the College

Public Relations/Sports Information, Publications and Electronic Media

Promotion, communication and advocacy of wellness-related activities throughout campus

Affiliated Interfaith Activities Campus Ministries Works collaboratively with the College to provide an active spiritual

presence for the campus community; offers weekly programs as well as special events within the Protestant/Interfaith, Catholic, Muslim and Jewish religious traditions.

Recommendation 9.1 Identify and support the resources needed to become “a national leader in the promotion of physical, emotional, cultural and social well-being of all community members”. Necessary resources might include a Wellness Program/Center that coordinates wellness activities and programs. Research Question #9.1.a: How do these programs, services and facilities compare with external benchmarks and other recognized professional standards? The College encourages all departments to strive for excellence, whether through accreditation or a comparison to national standards set by various organizations. All college programs, services and facilities conduct self-assessments, often utilizing national benchmarking data such as the Council for the Advancement of Standards (CAS) assessment framework. The programs, services, and facilities listed in Table 9-2 have received or are in the process of receiving external accreditation by their recognized regional or national organizations.

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Table 9-2. Accreditation of well-being programs, services, and facilities Program Accreditation Description Student Health Service

Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC)

Accredited every three years; meets or exceeds most of the standards set by AAAHC; the only major deficiencies that we have not been able to address are concerns regarding space and design deficiencies which hinder some services

Counseling Center International Association of Counseling Services (IACS)

Accredited/re-accredited every five years by the University and College Counseling Board of Accreditation (IACS). The Counseling Center conducted its on-site review in October 2010 and re-accreditation status is “probationary”. The Center expects to complete its Policies and Procedures Manual and receive full accreditation by the end of the 2011-12 academic year.

University Police Department

New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS)

Accredited every five years; SUNY Cortland is one of three of the 28 SUNY college police departments to have received DCJS accreditation

Institute for Civic Engagement

Carnegie Foundation Obtained elective classification in Community Engagement in the areas of Curricular Engagement and Outreach and Partnerships in 2008; on the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for five consecutive years, most recently with distinction

Research Question #9.1.b: How do we inform the community of the availability of these programs, services and facilities? Faculty, staff, administration and students are notified of these programs, services and facilities through various means of campus communication, provided in Table 9-3. One initial attempt to coordinate these communication efforts is Health/Wellness website, though this is focused more on students than the entire campus. Table 9-3. Campus communication about well-being resources Electronic Media Written/Hard Copy Events College website (messages, links, calendars) myRedDragon portal (targeted messages, topical groups) College e-mail Campus listservs Campus Activities online calendar Social networking sites NYS-Balance (confidential online resource and referral)

Press releases The BULLETIN Network of media screens throughout the campus LED advertisement board outside of Corey Student Union CSTV Campus TV station WSUC Radio Station “Dragon Chronicle” newspaper

Direct mailings Newsletters Brochures, posters, flyers “Stall Stories” Table-tents. Electronic and hard copy version of the Code of Student Conduct and Related Policies

College open houses Student and faculty/staff orientations Other College-wide events.

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SUNY Cortland provides a wealth of high quality resources, programs, and activities that support physical, emotional, cultural, spiritual, intellectual and social well-being of its community members. Though there are ample methods of communication, a coordinated effort that brings all the dimensions of well-being into a cohesive manner to the campus needs strengthening. Recommendation 9.2 The 2011 Facilities Master Plan addresses functional facility deficiencies that were outlined in the respective accreditation reports for Student Health Services, University Police Department and the Counseling Center. The College should monitor and assess these plans in order to maintain a high level priority. Recommendation 9.3 Explore strategies to address the elevated indicators of substance abuse among our student population. Recommendation 9.4 Increase support for accreditation and benchmarking in the area of well-being. Recommendation 9.5 Continue to monitor campus well-being and use data to inform strategic planning and program development. Recommendation 9.6 Examine the link between faculty and staff well-being and student well-being.

Research Question #9.2: What is the level of well-being on campus? Multiple data sources were used to assess the level of well-being on the SUNY Cortland campus. Table 9-4 provides the data consulted and the main findings in relation to well-being. More detailed information for each measure is found in Appendix 9-2. Overall, SUNY Cortland students, faculty and staff report positive perceptions and behaviors in relation to well-being. Areas of concern include alcohol/drug usage among students and low level of physical activity among faculty and staff.

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Table 9-4. Level of well-being at SUNY Cortland Data Source Findings Transformational Learning Assessment pre-test in the Bringing Theory to Practice research project funded by the AAC & U (administered in 2010)

• Preliminary results indicate a fairly high degree of flourishing behaviors and attitudes among our students (4.61 on a 6-point scale; n=421 students) In fall 2010, 68% of 321 respondents scored in the flourishing dimension of the Keyes Flourishing Scale. 63% of 122 respondents scored in the flourishing dimension in spring 2011.

American College Health Association’s National College Health Assessment II (ACHA-NCHA II) (administered in 2009)

• 95.7% of students (n=743) described their health as good, very good or excellent (vs. 92.2% for the national reference group)

• 81.9% of students reported using alcohol (vs. 68.8% for the reference group)

• 57.9% of students drink five or more drinks in one sitting (vs. 36.6% for the national reference group)

• 19.1% of students use marijuana (vs. 15.1% for the national reference group) and “other drugs” (17.1% vs. 13.9%).

• 14% of students smoke (vs. 16.8% for national reference group)

Student Opinion Survey (administered every 3 years; last three administrations used in analysis)

• Consistent increase across all three years in the very satisfied or satisfied categories for these variables: freedom from harassment (86%), non-teaching staff respect for students (87%); faculty respect for students (82%); racial harmony on campus (75%); and opportunities for involvement in campus clubs/activities (84%)

• Increase in the average score from 2003 to 2009 (slight dip in the average in the 2006 administration): sense of belonging on campus (70%); educational services regarding drug and alcohol abuse (60%); and religious/spiritual activities and programs (53%)

• In 2009, students were satisfied or very satisfied with acceptance of differences (81%), campus openness (78%), health and wellness programs (71%), and student health services (64%).

• SUNY Cortland continues to rank #1 in SUNY for recreation and athletic facilities and programs

National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) (based on survey administered in spring of 2008. Results of spring 2011 administration were recently made available—see Supplemental Appendices, Chapter 9.)

• Mean scores for both first year students and seniors exceeded the means of our three peer groups (SUNY, Carnegie, and NSSE) in participation in a community-based project as part of a course and co-curricular activities

• Mean scores for first year students were below those of our peer groups but exceeded the peer groups’ mean scores for seniors on the following variables, showing impact of programs:

Active and collaborative learning Enriching educational experiences Community service/volunteer work • Only 3% of first year students and 27% of senior respondents

reported that they worked on a research project with a faculty member outside of course or program requirements.

• Less than one quarter of our seniors reported having a capstone experience of some kind.

• Only 6% of seniors participated in a study abroad program

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Campus Well-Being Study (administered in spring of 2010)

• Out of 756 respondents, including students (69%) and faculty/staff (31%), in the domains of emotional, social and psychological well-being, the vast majority scored in the flourishing range

• The vast majority of students reported regular physical activity at the recommended level for well-being, while faculty/staff were below the recommended level

• The vast majority of students reported their weight as being about right, while the majority of faculty/staff reported as overweight or obese

Recommendation 9.7 a. Evaluate the College’s plan for assessing learning outcomes related to diversity. b. Increase enrollment diversity at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. c. Evaluate retention and graduation rates among student cohorts (gender, race, special talent, EOP, etc.) to determine if there are significant differences that need to be addressed. Research Question #9.3: What steps are being taken to advocate, promote and sustain diversity, equity, and social justice on our campus? How effective are these steps at developing an appreciation for diversity, equity, and social justice? Diversity as an indicator of well-being is reflected in many ways at SUNY Cortland. Diversity is incorporated and/or infused into the curriculum in the following programs: African American Studies, Anthropology/Archeology, Business Economics/Concentration in International Business, Community Health and Health Education/Concentration in International Health, Modern Language offerings in French, Spanish and teaching ESL, Inclusive Special Education, International Sport Management, International Studies with numerous concentrations, Physical Education/Concentration in Adapted Physical Education, Sociology/ Concentration in Social Gerontology, Speech and Language Disabilities, Teaching Students With Disabilities, and Therapeutic Recreation. Additional programs and curricula that support diversity are offered through the Center for Gender and Intercultural Studies (CGIS), Cortland's Urban Recruitment of Educators (C.U.R.E.) program, the Africana Studies Department, Foundations and Social Advocacy Department, the Clark Center for International Education, the International Programs Office, Student Disability Services and the Institute for Disability Studies, the Migrant Education Opportunity Program (MEOP), Inclusive Recreation Resource Center (IRRC), the Center for Ethics, Peace and Social Justice and the Center for the 4th and 5th Rs (for other related program/curriculum offerings see Academics website). Diversity is one of the five foundational themes covered in COR 101: The Cortland Experience, taken by all freshmen as a first-year seminar course. SUNY Cortland has more than 20 Study Abroad opportunities for students in 13 different countries. Additionally, students have access to over 600 other SUNY Study Abroad programs. The College also partners with 17 international institutions world-wide to provide Exchange Student opportunities.

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International scholars and students are recruited to the campus to enrich the classroom experiences and contribute to programming activities beyond the classroom. Dual diploma programs exist with London Metropolitan University and Izmir University of Economics and Anadolu Universities in Turkey. More than 100 faculty and staff members have received training on how to infuse diversity into their teaching through the annual Summer Institute for Infusing Diversity and Multiculturalism. General Education degree requirements for all SUNY Cortland undergraduates include Prejudice and Discrimination (GE11) and Contrasting Cultures (GE6). Learning outcomes are published in the College Catalog and are readily accessible online to current and prospective students. Admission and Retention of Diverse Students Enrollment planning for the changing student demographics in New York State has focused on sustaining enrollment despite these projected declines, employing strategies to recruit and retain a more diverse student population (see also Chapter 5: Academic Excellence--Students). SUNY Cortland has experienced increases in admissions applications resulting in increased selectivity, diversity, and a higher academic profile among new students (see enrollment data). Initiatives that have led to increased diversity in student enrollment, retention and graduation are listed in Table 9-5. Table 9-5 Initiatives to increase diversity in student enrollment, retention, and graduation • Integrated marketing and direct mail/e-mail target

messaging to underrepresented, out-of-state, international and other students markets

• Admissions staff target recruitment efforts in schools, colleges and programs with documented populations of racial diversity

• Out-of-region and out-of-state facilities are used to support recruitment programs

• Special on-campus recruitment events are used to bring students with diverse backgrounds to campus

• The Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) provides admission, financial aid and tutorial support for students who are economically and academically disadvantaged

• On- and off-campus financial aid programs that educate and support students and their families. Aid information is readily available to assist in planning and to help reduce financial barriers

• Scholarships have been increased to bridge affordability, academic excellence and diversity. Awards are based on academic merit and/or financial need and have been developed with priorities to children of immigrants, first generation college students, students who wish to teach in urban areas, out-of-state students, students involved in community service, academic and student activity leaders

• Special Talent Admission is used to provide enrollment opportunity to students with exceptional acting, artistic, athletic, leadership, musical or writing talents

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Over the past ten years, first-year student retention at SUNY Cortland generally improved among student populations. However, differences in retention among various cohorts needs further review to determine the level of significance. (See Retention-Transfers; Retention Freshmen by race; Retention Transfers-by race; Retention-EOP Freshmen). The four, five and six-year graduation rates of our student body have also improved steadily among the various cohort groups (see graduation rates by race; graduation rates EOP ). Instruments such as the SUNY Student Opinion Survey (SOS), the COR 101 CTE survey and the GE assessment item review are used to assess diversity awareness and appreciation among students. Results from the COR 101 and SOS instruments indicate that there are improved levels of understanding, appreciation and advocacy related to diversity (see SOS summaries from 2009, 2006, and 2003). Faculty and Staff Diversity SUNY Cortland supports Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employment. All matters related to recruitment and placement, promotion, training, retention, compensation and all other terms and conditions of employment comply with equal opportunity principles. The College conducts on-going analyses of personnel procedures and the employment process. Summaries of the 2010-2011 Affirmative Action Program Work Force Analysis indicate that no impediments were found in the equal employment opportunities on campus and no disparities exist in the compensation system. Searches for employee candidates are extensive and recognize that certain groups are disadvantaged because historically they have not been represented in particular professional fields. The College takes non-discriminatory affirmative action measures and seeks out candidates for employment from disadvantaged groups. A five-year staffing pattern analysis revealed modest increases in employment of minorities and women as full-time faculty and classified staff. Modest decreases occurred in the employment of minorities and women in management and professional staff. SUNY Cortland conducts assessments relative to gender equity and workforce climate every 5-6 years. The most recent Title IX Compliance Review in 2005 noted initiatives in the previous decade that improved equity among women’s and men’s athletic programs. However, further improvements in gender equity were recommended in such areas as compliance awareness among coaches, budget equity for travel and equipment and equal access to practice times and facilities. A 2011 Title IX Compliance Review is on-going and should be available for review in summer 2012. Gender climate in the workforce has been assessed for the past two decades. Findings and recommendations from the most recent gender climate survey were presented in 2006. A survey and focus groups on Gender Equity Workforce Climate was conducted in Spring 2011, and the findings are forthcoming.

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Steps are also being taken in student programming to advocate and promote diversity, equity and social justice. SUNY Cortland has reorganized the Multicultural Life and Diversity Office to have institutional responsibilities. The Director of Multicultural Life and Diversity now reports to the Vice President of Student Affairs and secondarily to the Vice President of Academic Affairs, and a new assistant director position has been filled. The Office provides trainers, instructors, seminars and adjunct faculty to help serve the campus community in its efforts toward diversity, inclusion and equity. In sum, SUNY Cortland continues to take steps to advocate, promote and sustain diversity, equity, and social justice on our campus, and positive outcomes are emerging. However, continued focus and assessment of this important dimension of well-being is needed. Research Question #9.4: Are all College programs inclusive and the facilities and technology accessible? If not, what are the plans to assure accessibility? The College is committed to the well-being of the 343 students registered with Student Disability Services and the 32 employees with disabilities registered with the Human Resources Office. To address the accessibility of campus, three separate areas were examined: facilities, technology, and programs that promote accessibility and inclusion. In 1999, a campus-wide project upgraded facilities to comply with ADA requirements. This project upgraded 85% of all public spaces, and the Facilities Management Unit has tracked ADA projects in their Annual Report since 2009. All new building projects meet or exceed ADA code for universal access despite topological and climate obstacles such as steep hills and severe winter weather. All academic buildings have been assessed by trained students for accessibility and this information is provided online (link to map/data). (See Supplemental Appendices, Chapter 9 for PDF). The campus transit system was also reviewed. The program currently provides for accessible buses to be purchased on a rotation basis (6 out of 8 buses in the current fleet are accessible) and other options such as kneeling buses are being explored for future purchases. As more of the College’s programs shift online, technological accessibility barriers have become a major challenge. The U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division and Department of Education Office of Civil Rights has set forth clear compliance guidelines, in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Using these guidelines, barriers to accessible technology were identified, as listed in Table 9-6. Table 9-6. Accessible technology barriers • Instructors routinely post inaccessible content in

online courses and do not know how to make their content accessible

• Striking improvements to website accessibility

• The College has published a large quantity of web video files that lack captions and are thus not accessible

• Some websites offered by third-party vendors,

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have been made with the implementation of the College’s new design and accessible templates. However, some individuals still publish inaccessible content within those templates.

such as library databases, are not accessible • Instructor stations for technology classrooms are

inaccessible. The controls are on a touch screen panel inaccessible to a user who is blind and the stations are not fully accessible.

Several programs on campus promote accessibility and inclusion. The Institute for Disability Studies is an organization dedicated to providing individuals and families of individuals with disabilities the support and resources to become fully informed and empowered members of our community. Student Disability Services envisions a campus community where all students with disabilities are valued and informed. The Inclusive Recreation Resource Center, established in 2007 and housed in the Department of Recreation, Parks and Leisure Services, educates students, faculty and staff in best practices in inclusion. In summary, the College continues to improve accessibility for all areas on campus as well as to improve technology resources such as websites, online courses and technology classrooms in order to achieve universal accessibility. Recommendation 9.8 Improve technology and facility accessibility in order to achieve universal accessibility. Research Question #9.5: What steps are being taken by the College to promote and enhance the environmental stewardship among the campus community to support goals for well-being? SUNY Cortland has a long track record of focusing on environmental stewardship and of integrating environmental issues into curricular and extra-curricular activities. For example, the College has nearly a dozen majors, one minor, fifty individual courses, and four student clubs or organizations that focus on environmental and sustainability issues or where such topics are a major theme. In addition, the College began a major focus on energy conservation in the early 1990s and has made significant reductions in the overall energy intensity of the campus. In April 2007, the College took a major step forward in advancing its focus on sustainability when President Bitterbaum signed the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment, committing the College to achieving climate neutrality by 2050. A Carbon Neutrality Committee was formed and charged with developing a Climate Action Plan that would move the College towards carbon neutrality by 2050. To measure the College’s progress towards meeting the Climate Commitment goals, the campus has enrolled in Sustainability Tracking Assessment and Rating System (STARS) by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). STARS categorizes sustainability efforts in three distinct areas, which are used to summarize the College’s actions to date: Education and Research; Operations; and, Planning, Administration and Engagement. In Spring 2011, a part-time Sustainability Coordinator was hired. Most recently, in Fall 2011 the College hired a full-time Energy Manager to provide guidance in energy use reduction on campus.

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Table 9-7 summarizes efforts and outcomes in each of these three areas, and detailed information is provided in Appendix 9-5: Sustainability. A part-time Sustainability Coordinator, hired in 2011, is tasked with helping to monitor and implement the newly developed Sustainability Master Plan. Additionally, a full-time professional position as Energy Manager was created within Facilities Management to oversee the Operation segment of the plan. Table 9-7 Sustainability efforts measured in STARS Education and Research Operations • Cortaca Climate Challenge • Green Reps • Earth Day programming • Sustainability Week • Community Bike Project • Courses pertaining to sustainability • Research pertaining to sustainability

• New construction designed per LEED Silver requirements

• “Watt Can You Do to Save Energy” program (won the Governor’s Work Force Champions award in 2006)

• Green Building Collaborative Committee • NYSERDA/American Recovery and Reinvestment

Act (ARRA) funding in 2009 ( $175,000) • Re-commissioning old buildings • De-centralizing campus heating • Installed solar hot water heaters • Low mow and no mow landscaping programs • Green purchasing guidelines and routinely recycle

materials • Exploring regional transit system and carpooling • Assist with Sustainability Track of Cortland Counts • Purchased three propane buses • Auxiliary Services (ASC) implemented a number of

sustainability initiatives, including the purchase of local foods, the donation of used cooking oil to a local farmer for fuel use, and the composting of waste from one dining hall

• Planning Administration & Engagement

• Hired a consultant to develop a Climate Action Plan

• Two recommendations were identified: o Adopt 2007 as basis for carbon foot print

and 2050 as the goal date for carbon neutrality

o Hire a Sustainability Coordinator to consolidate the efforts (hired in spring 2011)

Recommendation 9.9 Develop strategic plans for implementing and institutionalizing the College’s Climate Action Plan. In summary, SUNY Cortland provides a wealth of high quality resources, programs, and activities that support physical, emotional, cultural, spiritual, intellectual and social well-being of its community members. The new Student Life Center will provide a dedicated facility that will integrate many services. At present, communication about well-being activities is disseminated by various offices throughout the campus. Developing a more coordinated method of publicizing all the dimensions of well-being to the campus would be more effective.

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Chapter 10

Maximize Resources - Chapter 10 (Standards 2, 3, 4, 5, 7) Standard 2-- Planning, Resource Allocation, and Institutional Renewal Standard 3 – Institutional Resources Standard 4 – Leadership and Governance Standard 5 – Administration Standard 7—Institutional Assessment Research Question #10.1: How do the College’s review and distribution of its financial and other resources reflect support for its mission, goals and objectives? Budgetary decisions begin with requests which are directed to the appropriate Vice President and then are brought to the President’s Cabinet. The President’s Cabinet is the ultimate authority on financial decisions. The effect of spending is weighed against the goals of the institution and compared to available resources. When issues deal with problems needing resolution or campus initiatives that affect the College as a whole, discussion is conducted through a variety of governing assemblies such as the Faculty Senate and the Labor Management group. In some instances, collaborative committees are formed to examine proposals, policies or other matters that will impact resources. For example, the Facilities Master Plan Oversight Committee was formed to deliberate on all aspects of planning the College’s physical and programmatic infrastructures. A new multi-year Master Plan was developed that encompassed input from the committee as well as the consultants. The same process was implemented to develop the Residence Hall Master Plan. Use of the Institutional Strategic Plan in Decision-Making The President’s Cabinet weighs responses in its overall decision-making process. The strategic plan of the College is used as the primary tool for establishing the effectiveness of an idea. New programs must fit the paradigm established by the College mission and vision. While the core mission of educating students is emphasized, difficult decisions are made that include the redistribution and reduction of available resources. An example of this was the hard hiring freeze implemented in 2009, which resulted in over 130 vacancies with a net annual savings in Personal Services-regular (PSR) of over $1.2 million for the period in which they occurred. A second action implemented at the direction of the President’s Cabinet was an across-the-board reduction in Other Than Personal Services (OTPS) of 20% amounting to a campus-wide savings of just under $500,000. The savings allowed the College to continue all of its programs, centers and institutes and all of its academic programs through 2010. To ensure that classes were not cancelled and faculty release time (for grant work, coordinator positions and other professional development activities) was protected, the saved PSR dollars were also used to cover temporary

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service payments to adjunct faculty. Actions such as these are taken in order to preserve the academic and student service standards that SUNY Cortland students and faculty expect. The State operating budget is the chief source of funding, and is comprised of two main components: funds from the state referred to as state supported revenues and campus revenues. The State revenues portion of the budget has sharply declined since the economic recession began. In 2008-2009 the ratio of State support to campus revenues was 41% ($20,944 million/$50,597 million ) and by fiscal year 2010-2011, the ratio had dropped to 31% ($16,465 million/$53,005 million). Another element of campus revenues, interest income, has dropped from $574,000 in 2008-09 to under $75,000 in fiscal 2010-2011. The sharp declines force the College to utilize more if its own funding, which consists primarily of one-time dollars such as reserves. The overall impact of the cuts is compounded by unfunded mandates such as sustainability requirements, labor contract wage and salary increases, and the State’s complicated procurement regulations. It is becoming increasingly important that alternative sources of funding are added to the regular operations of the College. As part of the campus revenues, there are many Income Fund Reimbursable (IFR) revenues to help supplement part of the College’s budget, including those specifically designated as College reserves. Some of the larger IFR accounts are those supported by mandatory fees and are protected for the purposes that the fees express (e.g.: athletics, transportation, technology and health services). Other IFR revenues include miscellaneous educational services and conferences, as well as specialized course fees. State University Tuition Reimbursable Accounts (SUTRA) are the result of special contract courses, summer/winter session tuition, and regular tuition in excess of the budgeted revenues based on student FTE. The Dormitory Income Fund Reimbursable (DIFR) revenues are used to finance residential renovations as well as operational goals. The College reserve IFRs are funded by charging facilities and administrative rates (overhead OH) to SUTRA and the other IFRs. The rate is generally 5.6% of revenues for administrative costs and 8.7% of revenues for facilities costs. Because the eroding State budget brought about the need to grow more reserves, the President’s Cabinet made the decision to temporarily increase the administrative rate by 3% to 8.6% beginning in fiscal year 2009-2010. The fundraising arm of the institution, Cortland College Foundation, Inc. of SUNY Cortland, provides funds for scholarships and other initiatives as designated by specific donors. These funds are playing an increasing role in subsidizing student education. Scholarships paid from endowment earnings and other internal support has grown almost 8% from 2008-2009 through 2010-2011 (also see Scholarship comparisons). The Foundation encourages donors to provide gifts as unrestricted so that the students, programs, etc. can be funded as necessary from a general fund. The strengthened endowment, almost doubling in size since 2008-2009, has increased the availability of

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student undergraduate scholarships that are becoming more integral to students’ funding (the current endowment [Foundation only] as of 6/30/11 is $21,620,442). The Alumni Affairs Office serves as the College's liaison to the SUNY Cortland Alumni Association, Inc. The Alumni Association serves the campus community and involves its more than 58,000 alumni in the life of the College through a variety of special programs and communication media. The Alumni Board of Directors and staff members meet regularly to coordinate an annual calendar of events that includes special alumni reunions and receptions, events for 12 alumni chapters throughout the United States and other regional activities. The Alumni Affairs Office works with other campus offices to coordinate events in which alumni can participate. These include the Admissions program, Career Services opportunities, fund raising, lectures, and awards and scholarships for students. Research Question #10.2: What is the process by which specific and comprehensive plans for addressing these challenges are being formulated within the context of overall institutional planning? Comprehensive planning begins at the most fundamental level of the College and continues through key personnel to the President’s Cabinet. Institutional planning for distributing and aligning resources is an integral part of long-term goals. Comprehensive institutional planning is the catalyst for flourishing programs and well-rounded, successful students. Addressing challenges in the context of institutional planning takes on many forms. The University strives for transparency in its overall planning process, as recently evidenced by the open forums and collaborative group activities that occurred in conjunction with the formulation of the new Strategic Plan. Similarly, in 2010, group sessions were held as part of the planning process related to Middle States reaccreditation. Arguably, the most predominant burden currently facing the College is the weak State economy that is causing pervasive budget challenges, most of which are intrinsically out of the College’s control. Prudent spending plans formulated by the President’s Cabinet and executed by Deans’ and Department Heads have allowed the institution to retain programs vital to its integrity and mission. However, the State economic condition and ensuing declines in State support have changed the emphasis from ‘what to grow and develop’ to ‘what cuts will have the least impact on academic goals’. Although an across-the-board cut to OTPS in 2009 was effective in reducing non-personnel expenses campus-wide, generally speaking cuts are based on more discrete factors. Twice during the past two years, each member of the President’s Cabinet has developed plans for their divisions that include additional budget reductions of 5%, 10% and 20%. These exercises in planning are necessary to ensure a prompt response in the event of future cuts.

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Various ideas are discussed in advance in order to be able to implement these changes quickly if they become fiscally necessary. One factor that encourages institutional planning is within the context of regular self-assessment and reaccreditation exercises for various services and academic programs. Recent reaccreditations include the approval of Recreation, Parks and Leisure Studies as well as the Student Health Services and University Police Departments. These self-evaluations promote goal planning while assessing the results of efforts of the recent past. Institutional planning incorporates the fundamental step of assigning responsibilities at the individual and departmental level through performance programs and mission statements respectively. Adherence to the principles and practices communicated implicitly as well as explicitly in these guiding articles is measured through annual performance evaluations as well as by responding to queries within the annual reporting process. Open dialog is a key factor, transparent governance is crucial, and open-mindedness and forward thinking are paramount to addressing the challenges of institutional planning and ensuring a successful mission. Research Question #10.3: How do the institution’s resources and uses of resources compare with those of its peer institutions? A review of three peer institutions including Salisbury University, Shippensburg University and SUNY Oswego was completed. Based on similar enrollment and other characteristics, the schools were identified and chosen from the IPEDS comparison groups. All the schools, including SUNY Cortland, are similar in student-to-faculty ratio and total number of students. However, the operating budgets for Salisbury and Shippensburg Universities are significantly higher than SUNY Cortland’s while SUNY Oswego’s total budget is comparable to ours. The e-mail service provided to students is comparable among all the schools as is the wireless networking offered to students. Of the schools compared, Shippensburg and SUNY Cortland had a portal system available on campus. It was also noted that all four schools had comparable library technology available to students, faculty and staff. A review of eLearning systems shows that Salisbury and SUNY Cortland are moving from WebCT to Blackboard Learn while Shippensburg has Desire to Learn. SUNY Oswego uses Angel (purchased by Blackboard last year.) SUNY Cortland compared quite favorably in the graduate student enrollment area. Of the schools compared, only Shippensburg University had a higher graduate student enrollment. While Shippensburg University, SUNY Oswego and SUNY Cortland had similar alumni populations, Salisbury had nearly half the population of the other schools. The alumni participation rates were slightly higher at Salisbury University and Shippensburg University while SUNY Oswego’s rate was comparable to ours. This trend continues when comparing total endowments among the schools; Salisbury and Shippensburg were twice as high as SUNY Cortland’s and SUNY Oswego reported a much lower endowment

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than Cortland. The data analysis suggests that a) SUNY Cortland is effectively managing with a smaller operating budget and continually decreasing state funding; and that b) the College needs to find more effective ways to engage alumni and increase alumni giving (See Summary Table). Recommendation 10.1 Implement strategies to effectively increase alumni giving to SUNY Cortland with special emphasis on student and young alumni engagement. Research Question #10.4: What are the most significant challenges facing the institution relative to human resources, technology resources and physical facilities resources over the next five years? What is the process by which these challenges have been or will be identified? Human Resources The College has experienced a significant number of retirements during the past few months. In 2010, there were 52 retirements affecting all areas of campus (26 Classified Staff, 16 Faculty and 10 Professional Staff). While this may create a cost savings for the near future, there is concern that the positions may not be filled as well as the negative impact resulting from a collective loss of institutional memory. Since July 1, 2010 there have been 35 successful faculty searches and 35 professional searches (data as of August 2011). Based on data collected from exit interviews and surveys, the Human Resources office has implemented the Red Dragon New Hire Program, a comprehensive orientation program for new employees with a focus on retention. During interviews with colleagues at the 2010 President’s Retreat, staff and faculty expressed concern that there is a lack of funding for professional development in most areas of the campus. In response, the Human Resources office has begun to offer on-campus workshops on various topics such as professional writing, resolving conflict in the workplace and e-mail etiquette. For faculty, the Faculty Development Center offers a variety of programming including topics such as portfolio development, finding and winning federal grants and faculty advising. The Center also administers the Small Grants Program. Each year, there is more need than grant funding available. Recommendation 10.2 The Human Resources Office should continue to assess the needs of employees and offer additional professional development to SUNY Cortland employees.

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Technology Resources Since 1998, the College has standardized on Dell computers for the Windows platform and Apple computers for the Macintosh platform. The College lifecycle for desktop and lab computer/workstations is four to five years. The minimum timeframe for computer use in an initial location is three years. The College uses Banner as its student information system and students access it through a portal. Faculty and staff have appropriate access to student records based on need. One of the biggest challenges with technology is the continuous expansion of student expectations. While the College may not be able to meet every expectation, the ability to communicate with students will continue to be of utmost importance. In response to this communication need, Information Resources is developing an interface for students which will enable them to determine how they would prefer to communicate with the College. Another challenge facing the College is the transition from print to electronic media. While electronic communication pieces are a huge cost savings for departments, not all constituents are ready for this change. The College has seen the following annual savings by switching from print to online:

• Undergraduate and Graduate catalogs: $24,500 • Bulletin: $4,860 • Faculty and Staff Directory: $3,800 (average savings)

Recommendation 10.3 Proposals/Requests for President’s Cabinet review should include notification of how the request contributes to and supports the institutional priorities as defined in the strategic plan. Facilities Management The Facilities Master Plan was completed during Spring 2011 along with the Residence Hall Master Plan and the Sustainability Master Plan. The value of the Master Plan to 2027 is $312 million. Facilities Management has committed to an energy-saving satellite boiler infrastructure project that will replace all of the outdated boilers over the next five years. This project will increase heating efficiency, resulting in a cost savings for the campus as well as promote sustainability initiatives. Bowers Science Building I, Dowd Fine Arts renovations and the replacement of the electrical distributions are also scheduled for the next five years.

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As construction continues on campus, a significant challenge is the identification of operational resources for additional building projects such as the renovation of Bowers Science Hall and the construction of the new Student Life Center. The capital plan for 2013-2018 recommends the renovation of Van Hoesen to upgrade and consolidate the Student Affairs facilities and programs as well as the completion of Moffett Hall and Bowers Science II for academic programs. Financial Resources SUNY Cortland is experiencing significant challenges relating to past and future severe budget cuts. While the allocations from New York State continue to decline, the College is aware of the increased need for private fundraising. On September 24, 2011, the College publicly launched a $25 million comprehensive campaign, the second such campaign in the history of the institution. The Internal Control Act forms the basis for the SUNY Cortland’s Internal Control Program. In addition to the College’s system of internal controls, the Governmental Accountability, Audit and Internal Control Act of 1987 formalizes New York State’s commitment to efficient and effective business practices, quality services and ethics in the operations of state government. An internal audit is performed at SUNY Cortland on an annual basis and a periodic comprehensive audit is conducted by SUNY System Administration. Research Question #10.5: To what extent have shared governance and existing structures for decision-making allowed our College to thrive? What improvements could be made? SUNY Cortland’s success is attributable to the active participation and input from its faculty, staff and students. Throughout the College, shared governance structures are not only encouraged but are actively utilized for decision-making. As part of the State University of New York, SUNY Cortland has a hierarchal governance structure ranging from the New York State Governor and legislative bodies to SUNY Board of Trustees and the SUNY Chancellor to institutional, departmental and program-level committees. This multi-level approach to governance guides the College through state-related fiscal and legal issues while also providing a voice for local individuals to contribute to the daily operational decisions. SUNY Governance Being part of the SUNY System affords many benefits to the College. SUNY provides central administrative functions including legal, fiscal and human resources. Even within this hierarchy, there is System-wide shared governance. SUNY Cortland faculty, staff and students serve on various SUNY advisory committees.

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In 2009/2010, SUNY developed a new, comprehensive strategic plan that will position the System as an integral economic development engine for the State of New York. At the Chancellor’s request, SUNY campus presidents nominated 200 faculty, staff and students to participate in eight statewide, structured conversations to encourage the development and prioritization of themes and goals. Several SUNY Cortland faculty and staff participated in these important planning sessions. The SUNY Strategic Plan, “The Power of SUNY,” was unveiled in April 2010. SUNY is now in the implementation stages of the strategic plan. In addition, the SUNY Cortland President participates in the SUNY President’s Council, while SUNY Cortland faculty, staff and students continue to participate in Innovation Teams and Transformational Teams to define and recommend specific proposals to advance the SUNY strategic plan’s six big ideas. SUNY Cortland’s participation in the development and implementation of the SUNY strategic plan helps to position the College effectively within SUNY and also to ensure that Cortland’s own goals and priorities are aligned with SUNY goals and priorities. University Faculty Senate is the official means through which SUNY Cortland faculty participate in SUNY-wide governance. University Faculty Senate addresses effective educational policies and other professional matters within SUNY. SUNY Cortland’s representation on the University Faculty Senate includes one senator and an alternate elected by the College faculty for a three-year term. All SUNY Cortland faculty and staff, with the exception of 29 Management/Confidential and 151 Research Foundation staff members, are represented by a collective bargaining unit. Faculty and Professional Staff are represented by United University Professions (UUP) while Classified Staff are represented by the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) or Public Employees Federation (PEF). Labor management and the SUNY Cortland administration collaborate effectively to support SUNY’s mission and goals. As New York State public employees, SUNY Cortland faculty and staff are subject to New York State ethics and conflicts of interest laws. The New York State Commission on Public Integrity advises state employees about how ethics laws affect them, administers the State’s Financial Disclosure Statement program, and investigates potential violations of law. At the SUNY level, University Faculty Senate Ethics Committee “studies and makes recommendations to the SUNY University Faculty Senate President regarding issues of professional behavior, ethical conduct and institutional integrity as they relate to faculty, students, administrators and other personnel in SUNY and higher education.” At the College, the Assistant Vice President for Human Resources and the Associate Director of Human Resources serve as Ethics Officers and provide campus employees and the administration with advice and information concerning New York State and SUNY ethics laws and policies. More information may be found in our Standard 6 (Integrity) response in Chapter 4: “Mission, Vision, Values and Planning Processes”.

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Institutional Governance As defined in Article VIII of the SUNY Board of Trustees Policies and in section 130.01 of the College Handbook: “The College Council consists of nine members appointed by the governor, serving staggered seven-year terms, and one student elected yearly by the student body. The College Council has certain supervisory responsibilities, including the following: to recommend candidates for appointment as president of the College, to review major plans for operation of the College properties, to review proposed budget requests, to foster the development of advisory citizens' committees, to name buildings and grounds, and to make or approve regulations governing the conduct and behavior of students.” The President of the College serves as the chief executive officer and directs the staff and faculty in the administration of the College. The President is appointed by the SUNY Board of Trustees upon the recommendation of the SUNY Chancellor and the SUNY Cortland College Council. The President is responsible to the SUNY Chancellor and the SUNY Board of Trustees. The President’s responsibilities are clearly defined in the SUNY Board of Trustees Policies. The President and his Cabinet are reviewed annually via secondary sources, self-evaluation and compiled evaluation. The President is also reviewed annually by the Chancellor, with a comprehensive review and face-to-face interview with the Chancellor every five years. Both the College President and the Chair of the SUNY Board of Trustees certify that SUNY Cortland recognizes the Middle States Commission’s compliance requirements and will uphold State University’s policies pertaining to MSCHE standards and requirements of affiliation. (See Chapter 2 and this link). The President’s Cabinet consists of the President, the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, the Vice President for Finance and Management, the Vice President for Institutional Advancement, the Vice President for Student Affairs and the Executive Assistant to the President. The Cabinet reviews fiscal, academic, management and policy matters and makes recommendations to the President concerning such matters. The President and the President’s Cabinet utilize a variety of standing and ad-hoc advisory committees. The membership of these committees consists of a broad range of subject-matter experts and interested parties from across the College. Students, faculty and staff contribute to the development of policies and help solve institutional challenges through participation on these important committees. SUNY Cortland’s Faculty Senate assumes major responsibility for the development of the academic and curricular programming of the College, and is responsible for oversight over the College's instruction, research and service program. With the exception of the President and the Vice Presidents, members of the Senate are elected by their peers and serve as representatives to the entire student, faculty and professional staff bodies. Individual participation is highly encouraged through the utilization of subcommittees

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that focus on specific areas. To ensure campus-wide representation, as detailed in the College Handbook, the Faculty Senate requires a full review of the governance structure at least every five years. Cortland’s Student Government Association (SGA) promotes student participation in all aspects of the life of the campus. All registered students of SUNY Cortland are members of this association. Students elect a President, a Vice President and a Secretary to administer daily operations and to develop proposals for review and approval of the Student Senate (the legislative branch of SGA). Student Senate members are also elected by the student body. The SGA President and two other executive representatives are voting members of the Faculty Senate, and the SGA President is a voting member of the College Council. SGA student representatives serve on most presidential committees, including the Middle States Self-Study Steering Committee. The Cortland College Foundation assists in generating financial resources needed to sustain and improve the College. “The foundation's board of directors has a fiduciary responsibility to oversee the College's fundraising program and to guide the investment of current and endowed funds for the benefit of the College, its students, faculty and staff.” SUNY Cortland’s shared governance structure provides a vast array of opportunities for each faculty member, staff member and student to participate in guiding the direction of College. SUNY Cortland’s strategic planning priorities and goals are exhibited throughout the College’s governance structures. Research Question #10.6: To what extent are the distinct role and responsibilities of each constituent group within arenas of shared governance understood by those involved? To what extent are existing structures utilized for decision-making? SUNY Cortland provides many opportunities for faculty, staff and students to become actively engaged in helping to shape the mission, goals and programs of the College. These opportunities to serve are taken very seriously by faculty, staff and students as demonstrated by a 95% committee membership fulfillment rate. Upon appointment, faculty and staff are provided with materials that explain SUNY Cortland’s shared governance structure including the College Handbook, Collective Bargaining Agreements, and Faculty Senate information. Twice each year, Human Resources conducts the Red Dragon New Hire Program, which consists of a full-day orientation workshop that further explains campus operations and shared governance. Students receive information at Orientation concerning their opportunities to participate in Student Government Association (SGA). Throughout their career at SUNY Cortland, students receive e-mails and other materials from SGA soliciting feedback and an opportunity to participate in SGA and other student clubs.

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Overall, the institution’s administrative structure and services facilitate learning and research/scholarship, foster quality improvement, and support the institution’s organization and governance. Research Question #10.7: How effective are the administrative structures in maximizing resources? What, if any, changes in structure are needed? The President, serving as chief executive, and the President’s Cabinet have a strong progressive history within higher education which serves to strengthen their collective ability to maximize the Colleges resources. The President’s and the Cabinet’s backgrounds are fully articulated on the President’s website. Various administrative processes are in place to ensure that all members of the leadership are focused on furthering the mission of the College and the goals it has set, as well as to evaluate the effectiveness and overall performance of the College leadership, faculty and staff. All administrative offices and academic departments are required to annually review and revise their office/department assessment plans (in Annual Reports). On an individual level, various individual goal setting and evaluation processes for faculty and staff are in place to provide for annual assessment of individual performance. Campus Presidents are evaluated consistent with the Policies of the Board of Trustees and as detailed in Section 240.05 of the College Handbook. Other managerial employees who are not covered by a collective bargaining agreement are evaluated annually. Academic Faculty evaluation processes are outlined in Chapter 220 of the College Handbook. Professional Faculty and Staff evaluation processes and procedures are outlined in the Memorandum of Understanding Between State University of New York and United University Professions Relating to Systems of Evaluation and Promotion for Professional Employees Revised 1989 and in the Guide for Professional Employees (2/10). Classified staff of the College are also evaluated on at least an annual basis as required by each of their respective collective bargaining unit agreements. In addition to the administrative processes detailed above and consistent with SUNY Cortland’s Strategic Plan for 2010 – 2020 A Commitment to Excellence, a core value is to maximize resources so that structures, decision-making, and processes all work toward institutional vision, responsiveness, and sustainability. In an effort to maximize the effectiveness of the College’s resources, various standing advisory committees to the President function to provide objective and inclusive recommendations to the President and the President’s Cabinet for the most effective use of the College’s resources in furthering its mission. For example, review of the physical space as a resource has demonstrated that, for the most part, the College uses its space resources effectively. The Facilities Master Plan (FMP), as overseen by the Facilities Master Plan Oversight Committee (FMPOC), has shown that the College has sufficient capacity to serve its current and future enrollment

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populations without significantly increasing its building footprint. The FMP reports that a projected future instructional space surplus of approximately 66,000 assignable square footage (asf) could be reallocated to satisfy the minor space deficits in general and special use space and study space, and provide study space beyond the walls of the library. This surplus also favorably positions Cortland to support undergraduate research activity and project based learning. One area of concern that was identified in some interviews with campus constituents is that classroom space or classroom size to effectively offer all the courses demanded of the curriculum and student enrollment is insufficient. However, the FMP found that there is actually underutilized space and a surplus of space. A review of the physical space inventory shows that there is a need for improvement in the way classroom space is scheduled. The studies indicate that space can be utilized more effectively by spreading classroom and other occupancy across the teaching days and throughout the full day. The FMPOC has made recommendations to more fully utilize the existing space and to spread out the course offerings. In response to this suggestion, the campus has reviewed and has procured an event management software solution that will automate the campus’ scheduling activities to maximize full utilization of available space and capacity. Over the past five academic years, the ratio of full-time to part-time faculty has decreased from 1.21 in 2006-07 and 2007-08 to .88 currently in 2010-11. While this trend increases the number of part-time faculty in the classroom, it also demonstrates fiscally prudent decision-making by the President’s Cabinet to limit and freeze the re-hiring of full-time faculty in light of the dire fiscal climate the State and the College has been experiencing in the last few years. The previous decisions on the allocation of fiscal resources by the Cabinet are currently allowing the College to move forward with its 35 full-time faculty searches (including 25 tenure track full-time faculty, 9 full-time lecturers and 1 full-time visiting faculty member). As more full-time faculty are hired, the ratio will rebalance. The President’s Cabinet as advised by the Affirmative Action Officer (College Handbook Section 130.08 V), is committed to maintaining compliance with all federal, state, and local requirements to ensure that the College’s employment practices and academic practices are non-discriminatory and supportive of the College’s Mission Statement. SUNY Cortland employment search procedures require inclusive and representative search committees that work to ensure a diverse faculty and staff. During the 2009-10 affirmative action program year, the search committees advanced SUNY Cortland’s placement goals by hiring two minorities and three females into identified underutilized positions. In addition, a Director of Multicultural Life and Diversity and an Assistant Director of Multicultural Life and Diversity were recently hired.

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The administrative structures currently in place at SUNY Cortland appear to be effective. Available resources and effective uses of those resources are routinely reviewed and acted upon. The space utilization deficiency is an example of how the current administrative structures work to maximize resources. In this case, the deficiency was identified, and the administrative structures worked to find a sensible solution to the deficiency. Additionally, the structures currently in place, based on job titles, are appropriate. The standing advisory committees that exist are consistent with the College Handbook, have staggered term appointments to provide greater opportunities for participation, and are representative of the campus demographics. Institutional Assessment Research Question #10.8: How well does the assessment of institutional effectiveness incorporate results from student learning outcomes assessments as well as assessment of results in other areas, as noted in the standards? Are they related to areas of emphasis in the institution’s plan(s), and the established priorities for resource allocation and budgeting? Research Question #10.9: How effectively does SUNY Cortland maximize resources so that structures, decision-making and processes all work toward institutional vision, responsiveness and sustainability? College-wide Assessment at SUNY Cortland At SUNY Cortland three main types of assessment are used campus-wide for collecting, aggregating, utilizing and reporting academic data: 1) annual reports; 2) program reviews; and 3) general education assessment. In addition, there are three levels of annual reports: 1) the individual faculty or professional staff; 2) department or program level; and 3) school level. The Provost, Deans and other academic administrators and faculty review these and other data on at least an annual or semester basis, and more frequently as specific issues arise. Discussions regarding data take place in any number of venues, including the Provost’s Cabinet, and school and department-level meetings. Responsibility for initiating data-based program changes falls primarily to the academic school, department and program level. Faculty/Staff The data is used in many forms: individual faculty members and professionals write annual reports; each academic department director and/or chair compiles a written annual report; and the three deans write a report for their respective school. These are all submitted to the Provost for use by the Provost’s Cabinet and the President’s Cabinet. Annual reports are prepared by all SUNY Cortland departments and divisions (both academic and administrative), Faculty Senate committees, Interdisciplinary Centers, the

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University Police Advisory Board, and the Research Foundation. The President then prepares the College’s Annual Report for the SUNY Board of Trustees. Students The following outcomes are assessed every three years on a rotating basis: The twelve general education categories with corresponding learning outcomes; three other assessment devices that are administered to students on a similar rotating basis. They are: 1) the Student Opinion Survey (SOS); 2) the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE); and 3) the Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA). All three are nationally established assessment instruments that have been checked for reliability, validity, fairness and free of bias. The SOS has been administered continuously (every 3 years) since the 1980’s. Spring 2011 will be the second administration of the NSSE. The CLA was first administered fall 2010 and will be conducted regularly in the future. The College also collects, reports and analyzes a variety of process variables in order to review College-wide and departmental operations, including the professional education unit and programs. These include resources (fiscal, faculty, space, and support services), productivity (faculty and program), and faculty performance. Professional education unit and program assessment in this respect operates as a subset of College-wide assessment, and data is therefore readily available for NCATE reaccreditation activities. For example, faculty workload analyses incorporate all departments, programs, and faculty at the College, including Teacher Education. Data is provided annually to each department for their annual review. The annual Career Services Graduate Survey provides data disaggregated at the program level for both Teacher Education and non-education-related programs.

PART THREE

CONCLUSION

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CONCLUSION

The SUNY Cortland Middle States Self-Study Steering Committee took their work very seriously. They developed thoughtful, multi-layered research questions and conducted in-depth research using a multitude of data sources to seek answers. Chapter 4: “Mission, Vision, Values and Planning Processes” addressed three key Middle States Standards: Mission and Goals (Standard 1), Planning, Resource Allocation and Institutional Renewal (Standard 2) and Integrity (Standard 6). With respect to Standard 1, the College recently developed a revised mission statement as part of a larger strategic planning effort. This process is well documented and demonstrates that there was widespread participation from all sectors of campus. Regarding Standard 2, the College has taken several concrete steps to infuse the mission and our strategic priorities into our planning and resource allocation processes. These steps include the reorganization of annual reports to reflect the strategic priorities, decisions that were made to address the budgetary shortfall while preserving essential operations, and several instances in which organizational structures were reviewed and modified. With respect to Standard 6, there is ample evidence from all divisions (including such areas as finance, academic affairs and athletics) to demonstrate our commitment to integrity, academic freedom, student-centeredness and ethical behavior. Having waited for the full development of the SUNY strategic plan, the College should now take steps to align the campus strategic plan with “The Power of SUNY.” In addition, the College should develop a plan for monitoring the effectiveness of the annual report reformatting in support of the campus’ strategic priorities. The campus should explore the feasibility of developing a data management system to review data regularly for alignment with the strategic plan. Chapter 5: “Academic Excellence: Students” addressed important areas including the policies and practices of admissions and academic programs that help the College to achieve its mission; how gathered data about incoming and future students influences and informs teaching and learning on the campus; how the College is positioning itself to deal with the future of changing demographics in the student population; and how the College supports and retains students. Extensive data gathering and research revealed that SUNY Cortland is highly successful in the areas of recruitment and retention. Admissions, Advisement and Transition, EOP, Financial Aid, and individual departments all have programs in place to support students whether they are freshmen, transfers, special talent admits, or those from challenging circumstances. Students and families have complete access to all necessary and helpful information on the websites for these offices and have data available to make informed decisions about college career directions at SUNY Cortland. Admissions, Enrollment Planning, and Institutional Research and Assessment have gathered and processed voluminous data on how our students are performing academically, demographics on campus, future demographic trends and enrollments, how to successfully recruit future students, and many more areas. These data analysis results are available within these offices, and much of it is made public for student and parent/guardian review. Recommendations include assessing the

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effectiveness of college “preparatory” courses taken at the high school level; developing methods to assess stakeholder satisfaction with information provided by the College; and exploring whether some support programs for under-functioning students should be made compulsory. The subcommittee that undertook a review of Chapter 6: “Academic Excellence: Faculty” found that, in compliance with Standard 10, SUNY Cortland faculty are well-prepared in their respective fields. They are evaluated regularly by departments, students (Course Teacher Evaluations—CTEs), and via clear cut renewal, tenure and promotion procedures. There is a need for more full-time faculty in key areas, and the College is making strides to fill vacancies lost to attrition and the recent early retirement incentive. Professional development opportunities exist but could be enhanced. Health benefits are available to all full-time and part-time faculty and staff. Chapter 7: “Academic Excellence: Educational Offerings” focused on Standards 11, 12, 13 and 14. The subcommittee studied how effectively the College is achieving academic excellence through its educational offerings (not including transformational education). The specific areas included distance learning; general education; use of learning resources; assessment of student learning outcomes in programs and in relation to the College mission; and support for underprepared students, adult learners, accelerated students and international students. To assist gathering assessment information more efficiently in the future, information management software for submission of annual reports would be useful in gathering information more effectively and efficiently. As a better means of assessing class rigor, the Faculty Senate might wish to consider the inclusion of related statements in the required faculty Course Teacher Evaluations (CTE’s). The College should develop a campus vision and strategic plan for distance learning, and summer and winter term course offerings. It is also recommended that CTE policy be revised so that it more clearly indicates that summer and winter term courses are to be evaluated similarly to those taught during the academic year. The College learning resources offices are performing well, but increased resources should be made available to support the growing number of students in need of these services. The College should continue its efforts to internationalize the curriculum to foster global competencies in our students. To better evaluate the achievement of one component of the College mission, the campus is encouraged to devise a more effective way of assessing engaged students with a strong social conscience. Chapter 8: “Transformational Education” examined experiential learning activities and other forms of co-curricular activities and the assessment of student learning outcomes linked to these activities. Standards 9, 11, 13 and 14 were addressed, and findings indicate that SUNY Cortland offers a wide variety of transformational activities to students, faculty and staff. While outcome assessment data is regularly collected for many experiences, the campus lacks a cohesive system to communicate, track and assess student learning outcomes for these activities. The College should advance its initiative to implement a campus-wide calendaring system through College portal for students, staff and faculty to better promote communication and enhance access to opportunities.

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In addition, the College should explore and evaluate the merits of a co-curricular transcript and/or portfolio system to link activities and learning outcomes. The campus should consider conducting a campus-wide analysis of structured learning experiences to investigate whether there is a connection between transformational education and student well-being. The campus should consider implementing an assessment tool to gauge student cultural competency and should create a mechanism to better track international activities on campus and abroad, including participation of SUNY Cortland students in non-SUNY education abroad activities. It would also be useful to explore the feasibility of using the Bringing Theory to Practice Project as a benchmark to assess other forms of experiential education. Chapter 9: “Well-being” addressed portions of Standards 3, 8, 9, and 13 through the lens of "Well-being" as defined in the College's strategic plan. In the Strategic Plan the College states that it will, "Become a national leader in the promotion of the physical, emotional, cultural, and social well-being of all community members." The subcommittee examined the College's current state of well-being, focusing primarily on out-of-class and non-credit bearing experiences, although responses to questions on diversity and sustainability included curricular matters. Services and programs which support the goals were reviewed, and the level of overall campus well-being was viewed from a variety of campus assessments, including diversity; equity; accessibility; social justice; inclusion and accessible facilities and technology; and environmental stewardship. The subcommittee found that the College offers a wide range of services and programs to all members of the campus community in support of well-being. Most of the departments are either accredited or measure favorably against national benchmarks. The overall level of well-being on campus was generally good. However, a concern identified is that our students’ rank higher than the national average in the use of alcohol and other drugs. Survey instruments indicate that there are improved levels of understanding, appreciation and advocacy related to diversity and that no impediments were found in the equal employment opportunities on campus and no disparities exist in the compensation system. There is a need for further analysis of graduation disparities between student cohorts and retention and hiring of faculty and staff from underrepresented groups. In accordance with law and our commitment to the campus community, the College continues to increase access for individuals with disabilities through improvements to facilities, the development of accessible technology, and the academic and administrative areas focusing on inclusion. As a signatory to the President's Climate Commitment, the College continues on a path to carbon neutrality through the implementation of technological advances and educational efforts to affect behavior. Chapter 10: “Maximize Resources” addressed the maximization of human, financial, technical, shared governance and assessment to support the mission and priorities of the College. Addressing Middle States Standards 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7, the chapter provided evidence of policies, procedures and successes that enable the College to thrive through the prudent maximization of financial resources. Chapter findings revealed that the College does an exceptionally good job of maximizing available resources. Improvement can be achieved by implementing strategies to effectively increase alumni giving to SUNY

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Cortland with special emphasis on student and young alumni engagement; continuing to provide professional development opportunities to employees through the Human Resources Office; and seeking sources of alternative revenue funding. Proposals and requests for President’s Cabinet review should include notification of how the request supports the institutional priorities as defined in the Strategic Plan.

To summarize, SUNY Cortland is an institution of academic excellence. The College is committed to continuous improvement through regular and rigorous assessment of all areas of its operations. A culture of assessment exists. The College’s intent to continually improve is evidenced in the substance of the recommendations developed by the Middle States Self-Study Steering Committee. Shared governance is practiced at SUNY Cortland, and a strong commitment to ethics prevails. The College is fiscally stable as a result of the cautious financial stewardship of its administration. In conclusion, the College meets or exceeds the criteria of the fourteen Middle States Standards. Furthermore, SUNY Cortland’s new Strategic Plan, which parallels many of the major themes of “The Power of SUNY,” provides a strong foundation for the present and clear direction for the future of our institution.

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APPENDICES

( 1 ) 2012 MIDDLE STATES SELF-STUDY

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

Chapter 4 Mission, Vision, Values, Planning Processes Research Question #4.1: Why and through what process was the mission statement revised? How well does it now articulate our institutional purpose? Research Question #4.2: How are plans developed and articulated across campus in relation to the mission and the academic priorities? To what extent is the mission infused in unit goals, assessment and outcomes? Research Question #4.3: How effectively do the institution’s organizational structures and operations reflect and support the mission? Research Question #4.4: What efforts are being made to link mission, planning and resource allocation? Research Question #4.5: How does the institution demonstrate its commitment to integrity, intellectual life and student-centeredness? How do we monitor and evaluate our adherence to our core values? Chapter 5: Academic Excellence: Students Research Question #5.1: How effectively do admissions policies, practices, and procedures, and the infrastructure of academic programs, contribute to the ability of the College to achieve its mission?

Research Question #5.2: How effectively does knowledge about incoming students influence and inform the teaching and learning process and the services provided?

Research Question #5.3: Regarding the future of the institution’s student enrollment base, how does the College position itself to manage anticipated demographic changes?

Research Question #5.4: What are faculty, departments, academic programs, and support programs doing to support and retain students, including pre-majors, and how effective are their practices?

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Chapter 6: Academic Excellence: Faculty Research Question #6.1: To what extent does the institution’s faculty engage in creative curriculum development, interdisciplinary collaboration and the use of new technology in the pursuit of outstanding teaching and learning? What resources support this engagement, and how is it recognized? Research Question #6.2: How successful are the faculty in pursuing teaching, research and service? By what criteria and process are faculty members evaluated, and how does feedback from the process improve performance? Chapter 7: Academic Excellence: Educational Offerings Research Question #7.1: How does the College maintain academic quality in courses taught through distance learning? At off-site locations? Research Question #7.2: How effectively does the General Education program achieve its student learning outcomes? How are learning outcomes assessed? Research Question #7.3: How effectively are learning resources used by students and faculty (e.g., e-Learning, library databases, Academic Support and Achievement Program (ASAP), computer labs, etc.)? Research Question #7.4: What evidence demonstrates that students are meeting the College’s goals for expected learning outcomes at the program/major level? To what extent is this evidence used in program improvement? Research Question #7.5: How effectively does the curriculum reflect the mission of the College? Research Question #7.6: How does the institution support underprepared students, adult learners, accelerated students and/or international students? Chapter 8: Transformational Education Research Question #8.1: At SUNY Cortland, we aspire to ensure that every student will have access to engaging and transformational educational experiences. What evidence is there that we are meeting that goal? Research Question #8.2: How are co-curricular activities (guest lectures, civic involvement, independent research, campus events, community service, etc.) linked to student learning outcomes? Research Question #8.3: How are structured experiential learning activities developed, designed and coordinated with learning objectives?

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Research Question #8.4: How is global competence impacted by participation in international programs, campus programming and curricular initiatives? What evidence demonstrates that SUNY Cortland is maintaining educational effectiveness and academic rigor when students are engaged in international programs and other programs aimed at global competence? Research Question #8.5: Is there evidence that opportunities offered to students beyond the traditional classroom contribute to student learning? Chapter 9: Well-Being Research Question #9.1: What programs, services and facilities support the physical, emotional, cultural, spiritual, intellectual and social needs of all SUNY Cortland campus community members? Research Question #9.1.a.: How do these programs, services and facilities compare with external benchmarks and other recognized professional standards? Research Question #9.1.b: How do we inform the community of the availability of these programs, services and facilities? Research Question #9.2: What is the level of well-being on campus? Research Question #9.3: What steps are being taken to advocate, promote and sustain diversity, equity, and social justice on our campus? How effective are these steps at developing an appreciation for diversity, equity, and social justice? Research Question #9.4: Are all College programs inclusive and the facilities and technology accessible? If not, what are the plans to assure accessibility? Research Question #9.5: What steps are being taken by the College to promote and enhance the environmental stewardship among the campus community to support goals for well-being? Chapter 10: Maximize Resources Research Question #10.1: How do the College’s review and distribution of its financial and other resources reflect support for its mission, goals and objectives? Research Question #10.2: What is the process by which specific and comprehensive plans for addressing these challenges are being formulated within the context of overall institutional planning?

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Research Question #10.3: How do the institution’s resources and uses of resources compare with those of its peer institutions? Research Question #10.4: What are the most significant challenges facing the institution relative to human resources, technology resources and physical facilities resources over the next five years? What is the process by which these challenges have been or will be identified? Research Question #10.5: To what extent have shared governance and existing structures for decision-making allowed our college to thrive? What improvements could be made? Research Question #10.6: To what extent are the distinct role and responsibilities of each constituent group within arenas of shared governance understood by those involved? To what extent are existing structures utilized for decision-making? Research Question #10.7: How effective are the administrative structures in maximizing resources? What, if any, changes in structure are needed? Research Question #10.8: How well does the assessment of institutional effectiveness incorporate results from student learning outcomes assessments as well as assessment of results in other areas, as noted in the standards? Are they related to areas of emphasis in the institution’s plan(s), and the established priorities for resource allocation and budgeting? Research Question #10.9: How effectively does SUNY Cortland maximize resources so that structures, decision-making and processes all work toward institutional vision, responsiveness and sustainability?

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( 2 ) 2012 MIDDLE STATES SELF-STUDY

RECOMMENDATIONS

Chapter 4: Mission, Vision, Values, Planning Processes Recommendation 4.1 Analyze the campus strategic plan in relation to the SUNY System strategic plan (The Power of SUNY) introduced in 2010 to determine how SUNY Cortland aligns itself with the six major goals of the SUNY plan; and, determine how SUNY Cortland advances the SUNY-wide goals within the framework of its own mission statement and strategic priorities. Recommendation 4.2 a. Develop a College-wide plan for monitoring the effectiveness of the new standardized annual report format as a method for alignment of individual and unit annual reports with institutional strategic priorities. b. Explore the further development of data management strategies that would facilitate the alignment of activities and resources with the strategic plan. Chapter 5: Academic Excellence: Students Recommendation 5.1 a. The Institutional Research and Assessment Office should begin to provide reports on new student (freshmen and transfer) grade distributions in General Education and other baccalaureate required courses. b. The Institutional Research and Assessment Office should provide standard survey results (e.g., NSSE, SOS) comparing transfer students to new first-time students. c. Develop methods to measure stakeholder (parents, prospective and current students, faculty, staff) satisfaction levels with the informational materials (accessibility, clarity) provided on the web; i.e., whether they are sufficient to allow for productive decision-making processes and data-gathering. Recommendation 5.2 Expand, (based on demographics and increasing enrollment) student support programs, including more support for upper-level courses. Improve the methods used to make students aware of these programs. Recommendation 5.3 a. Discuss whether introductory courses transferred in by freshmen are truly preparing them for upper-level (major-based) coursework at the college level. b. Assess the effectiveness of “college-level” courses taken while in high school and other course credit equivalencies (including credits by examination, transfer credits.) c. Undertake a more integrated review process for scholarships and how some scholarships could be leveraged to attract students from a broader national or international base.

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d. Allocate sufficient resources for marketing, identification of target audiences and competitors, and commitment to a formal integrated brand marketing. e. Assess on a regular basis the effectiveness of the various tools used by Admissions. Recommendation 5.4 a. Explore the development of more support programs (beyond EOP) that target other students who marginally meet the standards for admission. b. Participation in programs designed to help under-functioning students is largely voluntary. Consider making participation mandatory.

Chapter 6: Academic Excellence: Faculty Recommendation 6.1 a. Institutionalize high-impact learning experiences into academic programming. b. Increase the number of interdisciplinary collaborations. Recommendation 6.2 a. Increase the number of full-time tenure track faculty. b. Expand mentoring opportunities to support the success of new faculty. c. Explore ways to further support the increasing importance of faculty research across all disciplines on campus. Chapter 7: Academic Excellence: Educational Offerings Recommendation 7.1 In order to further enhance and/or assess the academic excellence of the educational offerings at SUNY Cortland, the College should consider the following: a. Utilize information management software for submission of annual reports to gather information more effectively and efficiently. b. Advise the Faculty Senate to consider including statements relating to academic rigor in required faculty course teacher evaluations. c. Develop a campus vision and strategic plan for distance learning, and summer and winter term course offerings. d. Rewrite the Course Teacher Evaluation (CTE) policy in the College Handbook (Section 260.02) so that it clearly indicates that summer and winter term courses need to be evaluated similarly to those taught during the academic year. Recommendation 7.2 To improve the GE assessment process: a. Establish and/or revise benchmarks for each GE category. b. Increase access and involvement in review of assessment results to provide recommendations for improvement/change within categories. c. Establish subcommittees in all category areas to discuss assessment issues throughout the assessment process, as appropriate. d. Disseminate the GE results in a more timely and specific way so that faculty can critically examine the effectiveness of their GE offerings, and

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e. Explore the possibility of renaming the SUNY Cortland GE11 category currently titled “Prejudice and Discrimination.” Recommendation 7.3 To enhance the effectiveness of learning resources to better meet student needs: a. Increase resources available for programs that support student achievement. b. Memorial Library should develop assessment programs measuring the effectiveness of its programs, including reference and instruction, on academic excellence. Recommendation 7.4 With regard to students meeting College goals in the major and/or program: a. Require Writing Intensive (WI) courses to undergo a systematic review to determine their effectiveness and compliance with WI criteria. b. Further internationalize the curriculum to foster global competencies in our students. Recommendation 7.5 a. Devise a more effective way of assessing development of engaged students with a strong social conscience. b. Require new program proposals to indicate how their program(s) reflect the mission of the College. Recommendation 7.6 Continue to support services and opportunities for underprepared students. Chapter 8: Transformational Education Recommendation 8.1 Provide a campus-wide calendaring system through College portal for students, staff and faculty to promote communication and enhance access to opportunities. Recommendation 8.2 a. Explore and evaluate the merits of developing and implementing a co-curricular transcript and/or portfolio system to link activities and learning outcomes. b. Develop a more organized approach to assessing transformational education. Recommendation 8.3 a. Conduct a campus-wide analysis of structured learning experiences to investigate the connection, if any, between transformational education and student well-being. b. Provide training and support for College personnel interested in developing and tracking co-curricular learning outcomes. Recommendation 8.4 a. Develop and adopt the College’s definition of global competence and prioritize learning outcomes to incorporate that definition into international programming and curricular initiatives; develop and implement an assessment tool to gauge student cultural competency.

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b. The College should consider creating a mechanism for on-going tracking of international activities on campus and abroad and a mechanism to track participation of SUNY Cortland students in non-SUNY education abroad activities. Recommendation 8.5 Explore the use of the Bringing Theory to Practice Project as a benchmark to assess other forms of experiential education. Chapter 9: Well-being Recommendation 9.1 Identify and support the resources needed to become “a national leader in the promotion of physical, emotional, cultural and social well-being of all community members”. Necessary resources might include a Wellness Program/Center that coordinates wellness activities and programs. Recommendation 9.2 The 2011 Facilities Master Plan addresses functional facility deficiencies that were outlined in the respective accreditation reports for Student Health Services, University Police Department and the Counseling Center. The College should monitor and assess these plans in order to maintain a high level priority. Recommendation 9.3 Explore strategies to address the elevated indicators of substance abuse among our student population. Recommendation 9.4 Increase support for accreditation and benchmarking in the area of well-being. Recommendation 9.5 Continue to monitor campus well-being and use data to inform strategic planning and program development. Recommendation 9.6 Examine the link between faculty and staff well-being and student well-being. Recommendation 9.7 a. Evaluate the College’s plan for assessing learning outcomes related to diversity. b. Increase enrollment diversity at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. c. Evaluate retention and graduation rates among student cohorts (race, special talent, EOP, etc.) to determine if there are significant differences that need to be addressed. Recommendation 9.8 Improve technology and facility accessibility in order to achieve universal accessibility.

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Recommendation 9.9 Develop strategic plans for implementing and institutionalizing the College’s “Climate Action Plan”. Chapter 10: Maximize Resources Recommendation 10.1 Implement strategies to effectively increase alumni giving to SUNY Cortland with special emphasis on students and young alumni engagement. Recommendation 10.2 The Human Resources Office should continue to assess the needs of employees and offer additional professional development to SUNY Cortland employees. Recommendation 10.3 Proposals/Requests for President’s Cabinet review should include notification of how the request contributes to and supports the institutional priorities as defined in the strategic plan.

STANDARDS

CROSS-REFERENCED CHART

AND

GLOSSARY

STANDARDS CROSS-REFERENCED CHART (The following chart identifies the location of evidence of compliance by individual standard.) STANDARD 1: MISSION AND GOALS

Standard 1 Fundamental Elements Chapter/Research Question in the Self-Study

a. Clearly defined mission and goals: - that guide faculty, administration, staff and governing bodies in making

decisions related to planning, resource allocation, program and curriculum development, and definition of program outcomes

Chapter 4 Research Question 4.1 and 4.4 Chapter 10 Research Question 10.1

- that include support of scholarly and creative activity, at levels and of the kinds appropriate to the institution’s purposes and character

Chapter 4 Research Question 4.1

- that are developed through collaborative participation by those who facilitate or are otherwise responsible for institutional improvement and developments

Chapter 4 Research Question 4.1 and 4.2

- that are periodically evaluated and formally approved Chapter 4 Research Question 4.1 and 4.2

- that are publicized and widely known by the institution’s members Chapter 4 Research Questions 4.1 and 4.2

b. Mission and goals that relate to external as well as internal contexts and constituencies

Chapter 4 Research Questions 4.1 and 4.2

c. Institutional goals that are consistent with mission Chapter 4 Research Questions 4.1, 4.2, and 4.3

d. Goals that focus on student learning, other outcomes, and institutional improvement

Chapter 4 Research Questions 4.1, 4.2, and 4.3

STANDARD 2: PLANNING, RESOURCE ALLOCATION, AND INSTITUTIONAL RENEWAL

Standard 2 Fundamental Elements Chapter/Research Question in the Self-Study

a. Goals and objectives or strategies, both institution-wide and for individual units that are clearly stated, reflect conclusions drawn from assessment results, are linked to mission and goal achievement, and are used for planning and resource allocation at the institutional and unit levels

Chapter 4 Research Question 4.2, 4.3, and 4.4 Chapter 10 Research Question 10.1

b. Planning and improvement processes that are clearly communicated, provide for constituent participation, and incorporate the use of assessment results

Chapter 4 Research Question 4.2 Chapter 10 Research Question 10.1 and 10.2

c. Well defined decision-making processes and authority that facilitates planning and renewal

Chapter 10 Research Question 10.1

d. The assignment of responsibility for improvements and assurance of accountability

Chapter 10 Research Question 10.2

e. A record of institutional and unit improvements and their results Chapter 10 Research Question 10.2, 10.8 and 10.9

f. Periodic assessment of the effectiveness of planning, resource allocation, and institutional renewal processes

Chapter 4 Research Question 4.4 Chapter 10 Research Question 10.2

STANDARD 3: INSTITUTIONAL RESOURCES

Standard 3 Fundamental Elements Chapter/Research Question in the Self-Study

a. Strategies to measure and assess the level of, and efficient utilization of, institutional resources required to support the institution’s mission and goals

Chapter 9 Research Question 9.5 Chapter 10 Research Question 10.3

b. Rational and consistent policies and procedures in place to determine allocation of assets

Chapter 10 Research Question 10.2

c. An allocation approach that ensures adequate faculty, staff, and administration to support the institution’s mission and outcomes expectations

Chapter 10 Research Question 10.4

d. A financial planning and budgeting process aligned with the institution’s mission, goals, and plan that provides for an annual budget and multi-year budget projections, both institution-wide and among departments; utilizes planning and assessment documents; and addresses resource acquisition and allocation for the institution and any subsidiary, affiliated, or contracted educational organizations as well as for institutional systems as appropriate

Chapter 10 Research Question 10.4

e. A comprehensive infrastructure or facilities master plan and facilities/infrastructure life-cycle management plan, as appropriate to mission, and evidence of implementation

Chapter 9 Research Question 9.5 Chapter 10 Research Question 10.4

f. Recognition in the comprehensive plan that facilities, such as learning resources fundamental to all educational and research programs and the library, are adequately supported and staffed to accomplish the institution’s objectives for student learning, both on campuses and at a distance

Chapter 10 Research Question 10.4

g. An educational and other equipment acquisition and replacement process and plan, including provision for current and future technology, as appropriate to the educational programs and support services, and evidence of implementation

Chapter 10 Research Question 10.4

h. Adequate institutional controls to deal with financial, administrative and auxiliary operations, and rational and consistent policies and procedures in place to determine allocation of assets

Chapter 10 Research Question 10.4

i. An annual independent audit confirming financial responsibility, with evidence of follow-up on any concerns cited in the audit’s accompanying management letter

Chapter 10 Research Question 10.4

j. Periodic assessment of the effective and efficient use of institutional resources

Chapter 9 Research Question 9.5 Chapter 10 Research Question 10.4

STANDARD 4: LEADERSHIP AND GOVERNANCE

Standard 4 Fundamental Elements Chapter/Research Question in the Self-Study

a. A well-defined system of collegial governance including written policies outlining governance responsibilities of administration and faculty and readily available to the campus community

Chapter 10 Research Question 10.5

b. Written governing documents, such as a constitution, by-laws, enabling legislation, charter or other similar documents, that:

- delineate the governance structure and provide for collegial governance, and the structure’s composition, duties and responsibilities. In proprietary, corporate and similar types of institutions, a separate document may establish the duties and responsibilities of the governing body as well as the selection process.

Chapter 10 Research Question 10.5

- assign authority and accountability for policy development and Chapter 10

decision making, including a process for the involvement of appropriate institutional constituencies in policy development and decision making.

Research Question 10.5

- provide for the selection process for governing body members Chapter 10 Research Question 10.5

c. Appropriate opportunity for student input regarding decisions that affect them

Chapter 10 Research Question 10.5 and 10.6

d. A governing body capable of reflecting constituent and public interest and of an appropriate size to fulfill all its responsibilities, and which includes members with sufficient expertise to assure that the body’s fiduciary responsibilities can be fulfilled

Chapter 10 Research Question 10.5

e. A governing body not chaired by the chief executive officer Chapter 10 Research Question 10.5 and 10.6

f. A governing body that certifies to the Commission that the institution is in compliance with the eligibility requirements, accreditation standards and policies of the Commission; describes itself in identical terms to all its accrediting and regulatory agencies; communicates any changes in its accredited status; and agrees to disclose information required by the Commission to carry out its accrediting responsibilities, including levels of governing body compensation, if any

Chapter 2 Chapter 10 Research Question 10.6

g. A conflict of interest policy for the governing body (and fiduciary body members, if such a body exists), which addresses matters such as remuneration, contractual relationships, employment, family, financial or other interests that could pose conflicts of interest, and that assures that those interests are disclosed and that they do not interfere with the impartiality of governing body members or outweigh the greater duty to secure and ensure the academic and fiscal integrity of the institution

Chapter 4 Research Question 4.5

h. A governing body that assists in generating resources needed to sustain and improve the institution

Chapter 10 Research Question 10.6

i. A process for orienting new members and providing continuing updates for current members of the governing body on the institution’s mission, organization, and academic programs and objectives

Chapter 10 Research Question 10.6

j. A procedure in place for the periodic objective assessment of the governing body in meeting stated governing body objectives

Chapter 10 Research Question 10.6

k. A chief executive officer, appointed by the governing board, with primary responsibility to the institution

Chapter 10 Research Question 10.6

l. Periodic assessment of the effectiveness of institutional leadership and governance

Chapter 10 Research Question 10.6

STANDARD 5: ADMINISTRATION

Standard 5 Fundamental Elements Chapter/Research Question in the Self-Study

a. A chief executive whose primary responsibility is to lead the institution toward the achievement of its goals and with responsibility for administration of the institution

Chapter 10 Research Question 10.7

b. A chief executive with the combination of academic background, professional training, and/or other qualities appropriate to an institution of higher education and the institution’s mission

Chapter 10 Research Question 10.7

c. Administrative leaders with appropriate skills, degrees and training to carry out their responsibilities and functions

Chapter 10 Research Question 10.7

d. Qualified staffing appropriate to the goals, type, size, and complexity of the institution

Chapter 10 Research Question 10.7

e. Adequate information and decision-making systems to support the work of administrative leaders

Chapter 10 Research Question 10.7

f. Clear documentation of the lines of organization and authority Chapter 10 Research Question 10.7

g. Periodic assessment of the effectiveness of administrative structures and services

Chapter 10 Research Question 10.7

STANDARD 6: INTEGRITY

Standard 6 Fundamental Elements Chapter/Research Question in the Self-Study

a. Fair and impartial processes, published and widely available, to address student grievances, such as alleged violations of institutional policies. The institution assures that student grievances are addressed promptly, appropriately, and equitably

Chapter 4 Research Question 4.5

b. Fair and impartial practices in the hiring, evaluation and dismissal of employees

Chapter 4 Research Question 4.5

c. Sound ethical practices and respect for individuals through its teaching, scholarship/research, service, and administrative practice, including the avoidance of conflict of interest or the appearance of such conflict in all its activities and among all its constituents

Chapter 4 Research Question 4.5

d. Equitable and appropriately consistent treatment of constituencies, as evident in such areas as the application of academic requirements and policies, student discipline, student evaluation, grievance procedures, faculty promotion, tenure, retention and compensation, administrative review, curricular improvement, and institutional governance and management

Chapter 4 Research Question 4.5

e. A climate of academic inquiry and engagement supported by widely disseminated policies regarding academic and intellectual freedom

Chapter 4 Research Question 4.5

f. An institutional commitment to principles of protecting intellectual property rights

Chapter 4 Research Question 4.5

g. A climate that fosters respect among students, faculty, staff, and administration for a range of backgrounds, ideas, and perspectives

Chapter 4 Research Question 4.5

h. Honesty and truthfulness in public relations announcements, advertisements, and recruiting and admissions materials and practices

Chapter 5 Research Question 5.1

i. Required and elective courses that are sufficiently available to allow students to graduate within the published program length

Chapter 5 Research Question 5.1

j. Reasonable, continuing student access to paper or electronic catalogs Chapter 5 Research Question 5.1

k. When catalogs are available only electronically, the institution’s web page provides a guide or index to catalog information for each catalog available electronically

l. When catalogs are available only electronically, the institution archives copies of the catalogs as sections or policies are updated

m. Changes and issues affecting institutional mission, goals, sites, programs, operations, and other material changes are disclosed accurately and in a timely manner to the institution’s community, to the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, and to any other appropriate regulatory bodies

Chapter 4 Research Question 4.2 Chapter 10 Research Question 10.1

n. Availability of factual information about the institution, such as the Middle States Commission on Higher Education annual data reporting, the self-study or periodic review report, the team report, and the Commission’s action, accurately reported and made publicly available to the institution’s community

Chapter 10 Research Question 10.9

o. Information on institution-wide assessments available to prospective students, including graduation, retention, certification and licensing pass rates, and other outcomes as appropriate to the programs offered

Chapter 10 Research Question 10.8 and 10.9

p. Institutional information provided in a manner that ensures student and public access, such as print, electronic, or video presentation

Chapter 5 Research Question 5.1

q. Fulfillment of all applicable standards and reporting and other requirements of the Commission

Chapter 2

r. Periodic assessment of the integrity evidenced in institutional policies, processes, practices, and the manner in which these are implemented

Chapter 4 Research Question 4.5

STANDARD 7: INSTITUTIONAL ASSESSMENT

Standard 7 Fundamental Elements Chapter/Research Question in the Self-Study

a. Documented, organized, and sustained assessment process to evaluate and improve the total range of programs and services; achievement of institutional mission, goals, and plans; and compliance with accreditation standards that meets the following criteria:

A foundation in the institution’s mission and clearly articulated institutional, unit-level, and program-level goals that encompass all programs, services, and initiatives and are appropriately integrated with one another

Chapter 10 Research Questions 10.8 and 10.9

Systematic, sustained, and thorough use of multiple qualitative and/or quantitative measures that:

o maximize the use of existing data and information; o clearly and purposefully relate to the goals they are

assessing; o are of sufficient quality that results can be used with

confidence to inform decisions

Chapter 10 Research Questions 10.8 and 10.9

Support and collaboration of faculty and administration Chapter 10 Research Questions 10.8 and 10.9

Clear realistic guidelines and a timetable, supported by appropriate investment of institutional resources

Chapter 10 Research Questions 10.8 and 10.9

Sufficient simplicity, practicality, detail, and ownership to be sustainable

Chapter 10 Research Questions 10.8 and 10.9

Periodic evaluation of the effectiveness and comprehensiveness of the institution’s assessment process

Chapter 10 Research Questions 10.8 and 10.9

b. Evidence that assessment results are shared and discussed with appropriate constituents and used in institutional planning, resource allocation, and renewal and to improve and gain efficiencies in programs, services and processes, including activities specific to the institution’s mission (e.g., service, outreach, research)

Chapter 10 Research Questions 10.8 and 10.9

c. Written institutional (strategic) plan(s) that reflect(s) consideration of assessment results

Chapter 4 Research Question 4.1

STANDARD 8: STUDENT ADMISSIONS AND RETENTION

Standard 8 Fundamental Elements Chapter/Research Question in the Self-Study

a. Admissions policies, developed and implemented, that support and reflect the mission of the institution

Chapter 5 Research Question 5.1

b. Admissions policies and criteria available to assist the prospective student in making informed decisions

Chapter 5 Research Question 5.1

c. Programs and services to ensure that admitted students who marginally meet or do not meet the institution’s qualifications achieve expected learning goals and higher education outcomes at appropriate points

Chapter 5 Research Question 5.2 and 5.4 Chapter 9 Research Question 9.1

d. Accurate and comprehensive information regarding academic programs, including any required placement or diagnostic testing

Chapter 5 Research Question 5.1

e. Statements of expected student learning outcomes and information on institution-wide assessment results, as appropriate to the program offered, available to prospective students

Chapter 5 Research Question 5.1

f. Accurate and comprehensive information, and advice where appropriate, regarding financial aid, scholarships, grants, loans, and refunds

Chapter 5 Research Question 5.1

g. Published and implemented policies and procedures regarding transfer credit and credit for extra-institutional college level learning

Chapter 5 Research Question 5.1 and 5.3

h. Ongoing assessment of student success, including but not necessarily limited to retention, that evaluates the match between the attributes of

Chapter 5 Research Question 5.1, 5.2, and 5.4

admitted students and the institution’s mission and programs, and reflects its findings in its admissions, remediation, and other related policies

Chapter 9 Research Question 9.3

STANDARD 9: STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES

Standard 9 Fundamental Elements Chapter/Research Question in the Self-Study

a. A program of student support services appropriate to student strengths and needs, reflective of institutional mission, consistent with student learning expectations, and available regardless of place or method of delivery

Chapter 8 Research Questions 8.1, 8.2 and 8.3 Chapter 9 Research Questions 9.1 and 9.2

b. Qualified professionals to supervise and provide the student support services and programs

Chapter 9 Research Question 9.1

c. Procedures to address the varied spectrum of student academic and other needs, in a manner that is equitable, supportive, and sensitive, through direct service or referral

Chapter 8 Research Questions 8.1 and 8.3 Chapter 9 Research Question 9.1

d. Appropriate student advisement procedures and processes Chapter 9 Research Question 9.1

e. If offered, athletic programs that are regulated by the same academic, fiscal, and administrative principles, norms, and procedures that govern other institutional programs

Chapter 8 Research Questions 8.1 and 8.3 Chapter 9 Research Question 9.1

f. Reasonable procedures, widely disseminated, for equitably addressing student complaints or grievances

g. Records of student complaints or grievances h. Policies and procedures, developed and implemented, for safe and

secure maintenance of student records

i. Published and implemented policies for the release of student information

j. Ongoing assessment of student support services and the utilization of assessment results for improvement

Chapter 9 Research Questions 9.1 and 9.2

STANDARD 10: FACULTY

Standard 10 Fundamental Elements Chapter/Research Question in the Self-Study

a. Faculty and other professionals appropriately prepared and qualified for the positions they hold, with roles and responsibilities clearly defined, and sufficiently numerous to fulfill those roles appropriately

Chapter 6 Research Question 6.2

b. Educational curricula designed, maintained, and updated by faculty and other professionals who are academically prepared and qualified

Chapter 6 Research Question 6.1

c. Faculty and other professionals, including teaching assistants, who demonstrate excellence in teaching and other activities, and who demonstrate continued professional growth

Chapter 6 Research Question 6.1 and 6.2 Chapter 7 Research Question 7.1

d. Appropriate institutional support for the advancement and development of faculty, including teaching, research, scholarship, and service

Chapter 6 Research Question 6.2

e. Recognition of appropriate linkages among scholarship, teaching, student learning, research, and service

Chapter 6 Research Question 6.2

f. Published and implemented standards and procedures for all faculty and other professionals, for actions such as appointment, promotion, tenure, grievance, discipline and dismissal, based on principles of fairness with due regard for the rights of all persons

Chapter 6 Research Question 6.2

g. Carefully articulated, equitable, and implemented procedures and criteria for reviewing all individuals who have responsibility for the

Chapter 6 Research Question 6.2

educational program of the institution h. Criteria for the appointment, supervision, and review of teaching

effectiveness for part-time, adjunct, and other faculty consistent with those for full-time faculty

Chapter 6 Research Question 6.2

i. Adherence to principles of academic freedom, within the context of institutional mission

Chapter 4 Research Question 4.5 Chapter 6 Research Question 6.2

j. Assessment of policies and procedures to ensure the use of qualified professionals to support the institution’s programs

Chapter 6 Research Question 6.2 Chapter 10 Research Questions 10.5, 10.8 and 10.9

STANDARD 11: EDUCATIONAL OFFERINGS

Standard 11 Fundamental Elements Chapter/Research Question in the Self-Study

a. Educational offerings congruent with its mission, which include appropriate areas of academic study of sufficient content, breadth and length, and conducted at levels of rigor appropriate to the programs or degrees offered

Chapter 7 Research Question 7.5 Chapter 9 Research Question 9.3

b. Formal undergraduate, graduate, and/or professional programs—leading to a degree or other recognized higher education credential—designed to foster a coherent student learning experience and to promote synthesis of learning

Chapter 7 Research Questions 7.1 and 7.4

c. Program goals that are stated in terms of student learning outcomes Chapter 7 Research Questions 7.1 and 7.4

d. Periodic evaluation of the effectiveness of any curricular, co-curricular, and extra-curricular experiences that the institution provides its students and utilization of evaluation results as a basis for improving its student development program and for enabling students to understand their own educational progress

Chapter 7 Research Questions 7.1 and 7.4 Chapter 8 Research Question 8.5 Chapter 9 Research Question 9.3

e. Learning resources, facilities, instructional equipment, library services, and professional library staff adequate to support the institution’s educational programs

Chapter 7 Research Question 7.3 and 7.6

f. Collaboration among professional library staff, faculty, and administrators in fostering information literacy and technological competency skills across the curriculum

Chapter 7 Research Question 7.1 and 7.3

g. Programs that promote student use of a variety of information and learning resources

Chapter 7 Research Question 7.3

h. Provision of comparable quality of teaching/instruction, academic rigor, and educational effectiveness of the institution’s courses and programs regardless of the location or delivery mode

Chapter 7 Research Question 7.1

i. Published and implemented policies and procedures regarding transfer credit. The consideration of transfer credit or recognition of degrees will not be determined exclusively on the basis of the accreditation of the sending institution or the mode of delivery but, rather, will consider course equivalencies, including expected learning outcomes, with those of the receiving institution’s curricula and standards. Such criteria will be fair, consistently applied, and publicly communicate

Chapter 5 Research Question 5.1

j. Policies and procedures to assure that the educational expectations, rigor, and student learning within any accelerated degree program are comparable to those that characterize more traditional program formats

Chapter 7

k. Consistent with the institution’s educational programs and student cohorts, practices and policies that reflect the needs of adult learners

Chapter 7 Research Question 7.6

l. Course syllabi that incorporate expected learning outcomes Chapter 7

Research Question 7.4 m. Assessment of student learning and program outcomes relative to the

goals and objectives of the undergraduate programs and the use of the results to improve student learning and program effectiveness

Chapter 7 Research Question 7.4 Chapter 8 Research Question 8.2 and 8.3 Chapter 9 Research Question 9.3

STANDARD 12: GENERAL EDUCATION

Standard 12 Fundamental Elements Chapter/Research Question in the Self-Study

a. A program of general education of sufficient scope to enhance students’ intellectual growth, and equivalent to at least 15 semester hours for associate degree programs and 30 semester hours for baccalaureate programs (An institution also may demonstrate how an alternative approach fulfills the intent of this fundamental element.)

Chapter 7 Research Question 7.2

b. A program of general education where the skills and abilities developed in general education are applied in the major or concentration

Chapter 7 Research Question 7.2

c. Consistent with institutional mission, a program of general education that incorporates study of values, ethics, and diverse perspectives

Chapter 7 Research Question 7.2 Chapter 9 Research Question 9.3

d. Institutional requirements assuring that, upon degree completion, students are proficient in oral and written communication, scientific and quantitative reasoning, and technological competency appropriate to the discipline

Chapter 7 Research Question 7.2

e. General education requirements clearly and accurately described in official publications of the institution

Chapter 7 Research Question 7.2

f. Assessment of general education outcomes within the institution’s overall plan for assessing student learning, and evidence that such assessment results are utilized for curricular improvement

Chapter 7 Research Question 7.2 Chapter 9 Research Question 9.3

STANDARD 13: RELATED EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES

Standard 13 Fundamental Elements Chapter/Research Question in the Self-Study

Basic Skills: a. Systematic procedures for identifying students who are not fully

prepared for college level study Chapter 5 Research Question 5.2 and 5.4 Chapter 7 Research Question 7.6

b. Provision of or referral to relevant courses and support services for admitted under-prepared students

Chapter 5 Research Question 5.2 and 5.4 Chapter 7 Research Question 7.6

c. Remedial or pre-collegiate level courses that do not carry academic degree credit

n/a

Certificate Programs a. Certificate programs, consistent with institutional mission, that have

clearly articulated program goals, objectives and expectations of student learning and that are designed, approved, administered, and periodically evaluated under established institutional procedures

n/a

b. Published program objectives, requirements, and curricular sequence n/a c. Program learning goals consistent with national criteria, as appropriate n/a d. Available and effective student support services n/a e. If courses completed within a certificate program are applicable to a n/a

degree program offered by the institution, academic oversight assures the comparability and appropriate transferability of such courses

Experiential Learning: a. Credit awarded for experiential learning that is supported by evidence in

the form of an evaluation of the level, quality and quantity of that learning

Chapter 8 Research Questions 8.1, 8.3, 8.4 and 8.5

b. Published and implemented policies and procedures defining the methods by which prior learning can be evaluated and the level and amount of credit available by evaluation

n/a

c. Published and implemented policies and procedures regarding the award of credit for prior learning that define the acceptance of such credit based on the institution’s curricula and standards

n/a

d. Published and implemented procedures regarding the recording of evaluated prior learning by the awarding institution

n/a

e. Credit awarded appropriate to the subject and the degree context into which it is accepted

n/a

f. Evaluators of experiential learning who are knowledgeable about the subject matter and about the institution’s criteria for the granting of college credit

n/a

Non-Credit Offerings: a. Non-credit offerings consistent with institutional mission and goals Chapter 9

Research Question 9.1 b. Clearly articulated program or course goals, objectives, and expectations

of student learning that are designed, approved, administered, and periodically evaluated under established institutional procedures

Chapter 9 Research Question 9.1

c. Academic oversight assures the comparability and appropriate transferability of such courses, if courses completed within a non-credit or certificate program are applicable to a degree program offered by the institution

d. Periodic assessment of the impact of non-credit programs on the institution’s resources (human, fiscal, physical, etc.) and its ability to fulfill its institutional mission and goals

Chapter 9 Research Question 9.2

Branches, Additional Locations, and Other Instructional Sites (including business/corporate locations and study abroad)

a. Offerings at branch campuses, additional locations, and other instructional sites (including study abroad locations and programs offered at business/corporate sites) that meet standards for quality of instruction, academic rigor, and educational effectiveness comparable to those of other institutional offerings

Chapter 7 Research Question 7.1 Chapter 8 Research Question 8.3, 8.4, and 8.5 Chapter 9 Research Question 9.3

b. Activities and offerings at other locations meet all appropriate standards, including those related to learning outcomes

Chapter 7 Research Question 7.1 Chapter 8 Research Question 8.3, 8.4, and 8.5 Chapter 9 Research Question 9.3

c. Adequate and appropriate support services Chapter 7 Research Question 7.1 Chapter 8 Research Question 8.3, 8.4, and 8.5 Chapter 9 Research Question 9.3

d. Periodic assessment of the impact of branch campuses, additional locations, and other instructional sites on the institution’s resources (human, fiscal, physical, etc.) and its ability to fulfill its institutional mission and goals

Chapter 7 Research Question 7.1 Chapter 8 Research Question 8.3, 8.4, and 8.5 Chapter 9 Research Question 9.3

Distance or Distributed Learning: a. Distance learning offerings (including those offered via accelerated or

self-paced time formats) that meet institution-wide standards for quality of instruction, articulated expectations of student learning, academic rigor, and educational effectiveness. If the institution provides parallel on-site offerings, the same institution-wide standards should apply to both

Chapter 7 Research Question 7.1

b. Consistency of the offerings via distance learning with the institution’s mission and goals, and the rationale for the distance learning delivery

Chapter 7 Research Question 7.1

c. Planning that includes consideration of applicable legal and regulatory requirements

Chapter 7 Research Question 7.1

d. Demonstrated program coherence, including stated program learning outcomes appropriate to the rigor and breadth of the degree or certificate awarded

Chapter 7 Research Question 7.1

e. Demonstrated commitment to continuation of offerings for a period sufficient to enable admitted students to complete the degree or certificate in a publicized time frame

Chapter 7 Research Question 7.1

f. Assurance that arrangements with consortial partners or contractors do not compromise the integrity of the institution or of the educational offerings

g. Validation by faculty of any course materials or technology-based resources developed outside the institution

Chapter 7 Research Question 7.1

h. Available, accessible, and adequate learning resources (such as a library or other information resources) appropriate to the offerings at a distance

Chapter 7 Research Question 7.1

i. An ongoing program of appropriate orientation, training, and support for faculty participating in electronically delivered offerings

Chapter 7 Research Question 7.1

j. Adequate technical and physical plant facilities, including appropriate staffing and technical assistance, to support electronic offerings

Chapter 7 Research Question 7.1

k. Periodic assessment of the impact of distance learning on the institution’s resources (human, fiscal, physical, etc.) and its ability to fulfill its institutional mission and goals

Chapter 7 Research Question 7.1

Contractual Relationships and Affiliated Providers: N/A a. Contractual relationships with affiliated providers, other institutions, or

organizations that protect the accredited institution’s integrity and assure that the institution has appropriate oversight of and responsibility for all activities carried out in the institution’s name or on its behalf

b. Consistency of any course or program offered via contractual arrangement with the institution’s mission and goals

c. Adequate and appropriate accredited institutional review and approval of work performed by a contracted party in such functional areas as admissions criteria, appointment of faculty, content of courses/programs, instructional support resources (including library/information resources), evaluation of student work, and outcomes assessment

STANDARD 14: ASSESSMENT OF STUDENT LEARNING

Standard 14 Fundamental Elements Chapter/Research Question in the Self-Study

a. Clearly articulated statements of expected student learning outcomes (see Standard 11: Educational Offerings), at all levels (institution, degree/program, course) and for all programs that aim to foster student learning and development, that are: • appropriately integrated with one another; • consonant with the institution’s mission; and • consonant with the standards of higher education and of the

relevant disciplines

Chapter 7 Research Questions 7.1, 7.2. and 7.4 Chapter 8 Research Question 8.2 Chapter 9 Research Question 9.2 Chapter 10 Research Questions 10.8 and 10.9

b. A documented, organized, and sustained assessment process to evaluate and improve student learning that meets the following criteria:

systematic, sustained, and thorough use of multiple qualitative and/or quantitative measures that: o maximize the use of existing data and information; o clearly and purposefully relate to the goals they are assessing; o are of sufficient quality that results can be used with confidence

to inform decisions; and o include direct evidence of student learning

Chapter 7 Research Questions 7.1 and 7.4 Chapter 8 Research Question 8.5 Chapter 10 Research Questions 10.8 and 10.9

support and collaboration of faculty and administration Chapter 10 Research Questions 10.8 and 10.9

clear, realistic guidelines and timetable, supported by appropriate investment of institutional resources

Chapter 10 Research Questions 10.8 and 10.9

sufficient simplicity, practicality, detail, and ownership to be sustainable

Chapter 10 Research Questions 10.8 and 10.9

periodic evaluation of the effectiveness and comprehensiveness of the institution’s student learning assessment processes

Chapter 10 Research Questions 10.8 and 10.9

c. Assessment results that provide sufficient, convincing evidence that students are achieving key institutional and program learning outcomes

Chapter 7 Research Questions 7.2 and 7.5 Chapter 8 Research Questions 8.5 Chapter 10 Research Questions 10.8 and 10.9

d. Evidence that student learning assessment information is shared and discussed with appropriate constituents and is used to improve teaching and learning

Chapter 10 Research Questions 10.8 and 10.9

e. Documented use of student learning assessment information as part of institutional assessment

Chapter 10 Research Questions 10.8 and 10.9

GLOSSARY Academic Excellence—Asking about, and assessing, how well our students are learning and how effective our faculty are as teachers and scholars. It involves questioning how effective our curricula and related educational offerings are in helping us reach our goal of academic excellence. It embeds assessment of student learning outcomes and how well they demonstrate the achievement of academic excellence. Civic Engagement-- Civic engagement means working to make a difference in the civic life of our communities and developing the combination of knowledge, skills, values, and motivation to make that difference. It means promoting the quality of life in a community, through both political and non-political processes (Ehrlich, 2000). DIFR—Dormitory Income Fund Reimbursable revenues IFR—Income Fund Reimbursable revenues Outdoor Education-- The SUNY Cortland Center for Environmental and Outdoor Education promotes campus-wide awareness and commitment to environmental outdoor education while also managing the College’s outdoor/environmental facilities. The facilities include: Brauer Education Center, Hoxie Gorge, and the three Raquette Lake facilities: Antlers, Huntington Memorial Camp, and Kirby Camp. SUTRA—State University Tuition Reimbursable Accounts, the result of augmentation of the SUNY Cortland budget from special contract courses, summer/wintersession tuition, and regular tuition in excess of the budgeted revenues (based on student FTE’s.) Transformational Education—Transformational education is defined as a way of learning through which students develop skills, competencies, ethics and knowledge that contribute to their development as well-rounded, capable, and civically-engaged members of society. Areas of focus include physical and emotional well-being, as well as professional, interpersonal and intellectual skills. Well-being—The collective dedication of the College to the physical, emotional, cultural and social well-being of all community members. SUNY Cortland plans to become a national leader in the promotion of well-being. 2/02/12